Abstract
Human rights are the basic rights that must be provided to the human on the basis of being a human. Human rights violations are committed by states and societies. The ongoing worst humanitarian crisis is on Rohingya people where the state of Myanmar is involved in brutal acts of oppressing and suppressing Rohingya people. The research will enlighten on the humanitarian crisis of the Rohingya people, how their basic rights are denied to them, what is the situation and how the international community is responding to it.
Introduction
Human rights are the basic rights that must be provided to everyone irrespective of any color, creed, or race. Human rights must be provided to every human as a consequence of being a human. Human rights are a must for peaceful and stable societies. The right to life, right to food, right to clothes, right to property, right to freedom of opinion, right to education and right to work, etc. are human rights. Human rights are violated by states either directly or indirectly. Sometimes the violations are committed intentionally and sometimes unintentionally. In the research, the case of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar would be discussed. How they are denied their basic rights and right to citizenship would be explored in the research.
About 1 million people in Myanmar’s Rakhine state are suffering from human rights crisis. As the citizens of Myanmar, they arenât accepted and are the stateless minority. They are suppressed and are denied basic rights considering them illegal immigrants. According to Human Rights Watch, they have no property rights and are oppressed and denied basic rights of life. Myanmar denies recognizing them as citizens of Myanmar. Without the Myanmarauthorityâspermission, the Rohingya Muslims canât move. They are residing in poor conditions and their situation is alarming and devastating. They are living in camps with no facilities, and hundreds and thousands of them are escaping from Myanmar due to the violence and human rights violations.
As the most persecuted minority, the Rohingya people are viewed across the globe. From the great humanitarian crises, the Rohingya people are going through. On the planet, the most discriminated community is the Rohingya people. The human rights groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have greatly criticized the evil treatment by Myanmar and neighboring countries of Rohingya. The UNO has also criticized the Rohingya treatment and has raised its concerns.
The Ongoing Worst Humanitarian Case of Rohingya People
Myanmar’s government predominately Buddhist country deprives the Rohingya people of the basic right of citizenship. From the 2014 census, they were also excluded and were not recognized as citizens. In terms of language and culture, Rohingya people have their own identity. Rohingya people are suffering from the worst humanitarian crisis. They are in a terrible situation. The administration of Myanmar was accused in 2016 by the UNO of ethnic cleansing of the people of Rohingya. The claim isnât new as the Human Rights Watch has also claimed in 2013 regarding the ethnic cleansing. These are considered allegations and are denied by the administration of Myanmar. The reports are leaked depicting the brutality of the Myanmar government. Associated Press 2018 released the video showing the massacre. Activists have also claimed the firing on unarmed Rohingya Muslims reflects the brutality of the Myanmar government.
Escaping the abuses and torture many Rohingya Muslims have fled from Myanmar to neighboring areas. In 2017 the violence erupted when villages were burned and Rohingya Muslims were killed. They were deadly attacks resulting in 6,700 deaths of Rohingya people. Under the age of 5, almost 735 children died which itself is massively alarming. Many Rohingya people flee to Bangladesh to save their lives. Basic human rights were violated and the Rohingya people were suffering from the brutality of the Myanmar government.
The women and girls were raped and tortured, this was also reported by Amnesty International. The Myanmar government gave the reaction was that it was basically an operation against the militants and almost it resulted in 400 deaths. On the other hand, BBC reported different stories depicting the massacre of Rohingya people. 288 villages at least were devastated and there was huge damage according to Human Rights Watch.
Case in International Court of Justice by the Gambia
Against the Tatmadaw, the military of Myanmar the case was filed by the Gambia the small Muslim nation, the west African state, and the voice was raised to take measures against the massacre of the Rohingya people ad to stop the violence and provide justice to the minority. In the court in 2019 Aung San Sun appeared, she got the Nobel prize for her fight against non-violence and promotion of democracy, for such a peace icon to appear in a genocide trial was a piece of big news. She is ICJ denied the genocide allegations.
For protecting the Rohingya people from the torture, killing, and exploitation in Jan 2020 initially, the orders were released from the court asking them to take immediate measures. The Myanmar government keeps on denying the genocide claims. Interestingly the countryâs independent commission in 2017 also admitted security forces’ war crimes and violations of human rights. The complete report was not released which itself leads to doubt. By the government of Myanmar, there is a serious chance of recurrence of genocidal actions claimed by investigators of the UN.
Aung San Sui was called to stop the violence against Rohingya people by Antonia Guterres the UN Secretary-General the warning was issued over the chance of ethnic cleansing. To stop the brutal security operation against the Rohingya people Zeid Bin Raad the Human rights Chief also urged the Myanmar administration. In 2017 when Pope Francis visit Myanmarsaid that acceptance and respect for all ethnic groups is a must. The signal indicated much.
The Story of Refugees
Rohingya people suffering from massive human rights violation are greatly escaped and migrated to multiple countries. In 2017 massive number migrated to Bangladesh joining already existing thousands. In the world Bangladesh Kutupalongis home to 600,000 refugees the largest settlement refugee settlement according to UNHCR. Bangladesh itself is in trouble of having more n more refugees because they do have not that much capacity to own them. The authorities have made it clear that no more refugees would be accepted. They themselves are a burden on Bangladesh. An agreement was also made for the return of refugees in 2018 but wasnât implemented.
Refugees deny going back until having the assurance of getting recognition by the administration of Myanmar. They donât want to go back and suffer more. Sheikh Hasina visited the camp of refugees asking the UN to help and pressurize Myanmar to take their people back and provide them the basic facilities. As soon as possible Myanmar should realize its responsibility and should take its people back until that temporary aid and shelter would be provided to refugees. The refugees are suffering and canât travel to other Bangladesh areas and check posts are set up. Through the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal to reach Malaysia many Rohingya people from Myanmar have risked their lives between the years of 2012 to 2015, the figure was almost 112,000.
The Situation Goes Worse
The situation of Rohingyas in Myanmar is alarming and clearly not suitable. The situation has led to rapes, torture, forced displacement, and other severe human rights violations. The lack of accountability and genocide of the Rohingya people is shocking. The issue is internationalized but still, the condition is worst. The basic right of citizenship is denied to Rohingya people, they are in a terrible situation, and many of them flew to other areas. In the International Court of Justice, the matter was also taken up. The international community is questioning Myanmar but they deny any ethnic cleansing claim. In the globe the most prosecuted minority the Rohingya people are suffering from the worst humanitarian crisis. Important human rights organizations are sharing alarming statistics and urging to stop the evil treatment. Addressing the root cause of the issue is a must for the solution to the crisis. Basic rights must be guaranteed along with recognizing the citizenship right of the Rohingya people. The authorities of Myanmar must look into resolving the situation rather than escalating it. Myanmar’s military enjoys a culture of impunity that must also be addressed through global pressure. Bangladesh must remove the barriers as long as the issue prevails, and the UN agencies and international donors should come up with aid and support for Rohingyas. To address the plight of Rohingya much can be done by the world. The US can warn them by the imposition of sanctions, a lot can be done and shall be done to resolve the worst humanitarian crisis. Letâs hope for peace and stability for the Rohingya people.
Author
Eeman Fatima is an international relations student at Kinnaird College for Women University Lahore. She is a radio host, writer, and avid reader. Her multiple articles are published related to international relations. She aims to raise her voice on multiple international issues. She believes to fight against evil through her pen.
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References
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Human rights âcatastropheâ in Myanmar: UN calls for urgent action. (2021). Retrieved from https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/09/1100922
Myanmar Rohingya: What you need to know about the crisis. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41566561
MYANMMAR 2021. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/asia-and-the-pacific/south-east-asia-and-the-pacific/myanmar/report-myanmar/#:~:text=MYANMAR%202021,torture%20of%20detaine
Staff, A. J. (2018). Who are the Rohingya? Retrieved from https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2018/4/18/who-are-the-rohingya