Understanding the Rohingya Crisis and the Failure of Human Rights Norm in Myanmar: Possible Policy Responses

Abstract

How can one understand the genealogy of the Rohingyas? How did the Myanmar state frame the Rohingyas? What factors led to the failure of the human rights norm in the case of the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar? How can this crisis be addressed? This article investigates these questions and argues that Rohingyas were living in the Rakhine state of Myanmar throughout centuries. They were dehumanized and systematically excluded by the government of Myanmar over a long time. The article also argues that Myanmar state was not interested in complying with the international norms of human rights in case of Rohingya crisis due to the prevailing domestic structure of the country, lack of political opportunities at the national, regional, and global levels, and the narrowly defined national interests of the major powers. In this context, possibilities need to be created to address the Rohingya crisis. Thus, the role of the international community, including China, India, Russia, the United Nations, and the European Union, becomes critical.

The Prospect of ASEAN Migration Governance

“…According to Islam (2019), three factors cause human rights violations against the spiritual community, namely: the structure and setting of domestic politics, the weak independence of civil society, and the strength of domestic legal institutions. A state-controlled by the military fully controls the internal political structure.…”

“…Therefore, the role of CSOs as a counter-hegemony in protecting human rights interests is weak, including the role of the National Human Rights Commission. The strength of domestic institutions has also enabled the Myanmar government to disseminate information that form negative public opinion about the Rohingya community (Islam, 2019).…”

A proteção dos Direitos Humanos na Corte Internacional de Justiça

“…O êxodo de refugiados ultrapassou um milhão de pessoas e é alarmante o rastro de destruição, estupros e massacres durante a remoção forçada da população civil na província de Rakhine. (Islam 2019;Levy 2019;Uddin 2019) Os Rohingya são uma minoria étnica e religiosa, presentes há séculos na região de Arakan (Rakhine), antigo reino na costa bengali, anexado ao Myanmar no final do século XVIII. Apesar de sempre terem vivido na região, os Rohingya são rotulados de imigrantes bengalis.…”

“…Apesar de sempre terem vivido na região, os Rohingya são rotulados de imigrantes bengalis. (Islam 2019;Levy 2019).…”

Multiple Facets of Migration Research: Key Questions, Topics, and Avenues yet to Be Explored

“…This notwithstanding, certain topics still require greater attention of the research community. The Rohingya crisis or the case of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Yemen are just the most striking cases in this respect [13][14][15]; so is the Venezuela refugee crisis and many more. In some respects, the surge in migration research and the variety of contributions from diverse scholarly perspectives does just that [16].…”