FFVT on point: Displaced and disconnected? Rohingya refugees‘ search for a future in Bangladesh and beyond

In this online discussion invited experts share insights from their research or practical work with displaced Rohingyas in South and Southeast Asia. The 1½ -hour debate will inform the audience about the current situation and discuss fields of action for progressive refugee protection, humanitarian aid, and development cooperation.

More than 1.1 million people have fled from Myanmar; 650,000 have been displaced within this country. The Rohingyas represent one of the most persecuted ethnic minority groups who were forced to flee. After successive phases of state-led violence in 2017, hundred thousands fled to Bangladesh, where almost 950,000 displaced Rohingyas live in some of the world’s largest and most densely populated refugee camps. The government of Bangladesh, local communities and international organisations provide essential humanitarian aid but there are hardly any long-term perspectives for Rohingya refugees in the country. In contrary, the government continues to view repatriation to Myanmar as preferred and indeed only solution.

While the majority of Rohingyas wish to return, repeated cycles of violence and ongoing persecution prevent them from actually returning home. Moreover, there have been no concrete efforts to resettle encamped Rohingyas to other countries. Some refugees have thus taken their fate into their own hands and moved on to other countries in the region. In India, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, Rohingyas are, however, also confronted with livelihood insecurity, precarious labour relations, discrimination and exclusion. As a result, the world witnessed a dramatic protracted refugee situation emerging in South and Southeast Asia over the past five years but found no adequate ways to respond to it.

This session of the FFVT on point series seeks to address the following questions:

• Why and how has the emergency of Rohingyas’ displacement in 2017 turned into a protracted refugee situation? Which realistic options are at hand for stakeholders to ease Rohingyas’ crisis of displacement?

• What role do relocation (within Bangladesh) and resettlement (to third countries) play in state’s response strategies to this humanitarian crisis?

• If return is unrealistic, local integration not wanted and resettlement not supported, which alternative and complementary pathways to reaching durable solutions can be followed?

• Which solutions are preferred by the displaced Rohingyas themselves, and what strategies do they follow in trying to achieve them?

Panelists:

• Professor Palash Kamruzzaman (PhD), University of South Wales, Social Policy, UK

• Anas Ansar, University of Bonn, Centre for Development Studies, Germany

• Professor Dr Antje Missbach, University of Bielefeld, Faculty of Sociology, Germany

• Shabira Sultana Nupur , International Rescue Committee, Head of Advocacy and Communications
  

Moderation:
Dr Benjamin Etzold , Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies (BICC)
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Registration link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_MrkSBhNVRaaa-GOankdeDg