Bangladesh – Rohingya women in refugee camps share stories of loss and hopes of recovery

Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. March 2018. Bangladesh has been hosting Rohingya refugees from Myanmar for nearly 30 years. Since August 2017, some 693,000 RohingyaÕs have made their way to CoxÕs Bazar in desperate conditions. Of them, 51 per cent are women. The refugee population in Bangladeshi settlements has more than doubled; camps are overcrowded, needs are immediate and enormous, and resources are stretched. As of January 2018, UN Women has set up the first Multi-Purpose Women’s Centre in the Balukhali refugee camp in CoxÕs Bazar, in partnership with Action Aid and with support from UN Women National Committee Australia. The Centre provides a safe space for Rohingya women and adolescent girls, where they can build a social network, access information and referral services for gender-based violence, and seek psycho-social counselling. The centre also offers skills training in literacy, livelihood options, leadership and disaster preparedness, and raises awareness about gender issues and risks. Pictured: Women wait for distribution of relief items at the Balukhali camp on 6 March 2018. Since the influx of Rohingya refugees started, many humanitarian agencies have been trying their best to distribute essential relief items such as soaps, clothes, scarves, menstrual hygiene products and flashlights to women, packaged together into what is called a Òdignity kitÓ. However, because of the sheer number of incoming refugees, the unmet demand for dignity kits was immense. Through the winter, UN Women, the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs and ActionAid Bangladesh distributed dignity kits to nearly 8,000 households, specifically targeting women and girls and those with special needs. Photo: UN Women/Allison Joyce Read More: http://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/multimedia/2018/5/photo-rohingya-women-refugees Dignity Kit Distribution: http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2018/2/feature-relief-that-counts-in-the-practical-needs-of-rohingya-women-refugees http:/

Who are the Rohingyas?

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