The Hidden Humanitarian Crisis
Cover Image Source: Wikimedia Commons, the free image repository, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rohingya_refugees_in_refugee_camp_in_Bangladesh,_2017.JPG.
The southeast Asian country of Myanmar (Burma) has not been in the UK news lately but it should be. The Rohingya people who are of a stateless Indo-Aryan ethnic group of the Muslim faith that live in Myanmar are facing the threat of genocide due to the Myanmar government. Since August of 2017, the country has seen a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, and as of 24 May 2018, there have been nearly a million refugees fleeing from their homes in Myanmar. Most of the people that have fled the state have found temporary safety in refugee camps around Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh – currently the world’s largest refugee camp.
What is happening?
The United Nations has reported that killings, rapes and gang rapes, torture, forced displacement, amongst other horrific actions are being carried out by pro-government vigilante mobs and military forces onto the Rohingya people. The Myanmar government has described the violent campaign starting in 2017 as a counterterrorism operation against dangerous insurgents. However – most of the refugees that are now fleeing the situation are women and children traumatized by what they have seen and lived through. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad told the United Nations that, “what is truly happening is a genocide.” The Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar set up by the Human Rights Council concludes that the 600,00 Rohingya still living in Myanmar are in an even worse condition than they found the year before in their 2018 report. The report also details that the state is responsible for committing genocide and is failing in its obligations under the Genocide Convention to take appropriate steps to stop the attacks on the Rohingya. The Myanmar government is not only attacking the Rohingya in the way of violence, they have also denied their right to citizenship and other fundamental rights originating in a 1982 Citizenship Law. Additionally, the Myanmar government is limiting the Rohingya’s food stability by forcing them off farmland, which is leading to mass hunger and emotional distress. The Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar has identified seven indicators of genocide within Myanmar; Myanmar’s military’s brutality and their organized destruction, the violence against women and children, the language used towards the Rohingya by the officials of Myanmar’s officials, the existence of discriminatory laws and tolerance for hatred and inability to prosecute violations of human rights.
When looked at together, these indicators indicate a pattern of abuse of power by the Myanmar government, as well as indicate a genocidal intent. These seven factors make it nearly impossible for refugees currently in Bangladesh to return. Although these displaced persons are overall safer in Bangladesh, the Rohingya people are still facing hurdles and endangerment within Bangladesh and the refugee camps. The jobless refugee population is seen to be ripe for radicalization and extremism, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told reporters “the jobless refugee population is seen to be ripe for radicalization and extremism”. The Human Rights Watch warns that the restrictions the Bangladeshi government has made to reduce radical groups’ ability to communicate with refugees, such as shutting down mobile networks after 5pm and the construction of a security fence around the camps, has made matters worse by isolating the Rohingya refugees.
Within both Bangladesh and Myanmar, the Rohingya are facing discrimination, violence and trauma. The irreversible damage being done by the government and its military to not only the people living through the conflict but also to the Rohingya culture is undeniable; the extent of this violence and discrimination is rare on a global scale. However, the issue is barely being discussed or mentioned in Western news media. The negligence of the western media is partly stopping the Rohingya people from getting necessary resources to stop the damage and hold the government accountable for its actions.
Why is this crisis not on the TV screen?
The question of why the Rohingya refugee crisis and genocide is not gaining the necessary publicity for change is a question that has its answers rooted within Western culture. The common phrase of ‘if it bleeds, it leads’ is commonly true in capturing the media’s attention, but is a philosophy that should be followed with an asterisk. Much of the news on the TVs is about Western TVs or the West’s involvements within countries. The United States’ government continues to talk about this particular example of ethnic cleaning in the past tense, thus disregarding the 600,000 Rohingya that still live in Myanmar in danger of being killed, raped or displaced. The American government failing to acknowledge the ongoing humanitarian crisis the Rohingya are facing allows for news organizations to take the governments lead and lets them fail to inform the public of the humanitarian crisis that is happening within southeast Asia. There are currently no US troops within Myanmar according to Business Insider and the only aid that has been sent from the US to the Rohingya people is monetary. The money that was sent to Bangladesh was given to the people of Bangladesh primarily because they are hosting refugees.
The UK government gives support to the Rohingya refugees in the way of access to food, clean water and healthcare, however, it still fails to acknowledge the ongoing conflict, and risk of violence and discrimination that is happening within Myanmar. The UK government’s plan of aid only reaches Cox’s Bazar and ignores the 600,000 Rohingya people that are still living in danger every day. While conflict is often covered on national news, the everyday horror that the Rohingya are living in has not been and this is limiting not only involvement, but also action to be taken to help the Rohingya.
