Bangladesh authorities have intensified their restrictions on the Rohingyas’ abilities to live independently and freely. Officials have demolished shops, closed schools, and introduced new obstacles to travel within and between the camps. Refugees and humanitarian groups fear that the country’s recent response is an effort to coerce refugees to either relocate or repatriate to Myanmar. 

“Bangladesh is understandably burdened with hosting nearly one million Rohingya refugees, but cutting them off from opportunities to work and study is only compounding their vulnerability and dependence on aid,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

Bangladesh authorities should lift the new restrictions, allow informal markets and schools to reopen, and put in more effort to improve the Rohingya refugees’ livelihoods. The worsening conditions in the camps raise concerns that authorities are acting deliberately to coerce refugees to leave – such conduct should not be condoned by the international community. The Bangladesh government should expand employment opportunities for the Rohingya to increase self-reliance and enable them to support their families. A 2022 Joint Response Plan for the Rohingya humanitarian crisis requested US$875 million in aid. So far, it is unfunded. The United States, United Kingdom, European Union, and Australia have the ability to increase funding to help the Rohingya refugees, and they can also pressure Bangladeshi authorities to reverse their restrictions and ensure that Rohingya refugees have access to education, employment, and other tools necessary for rebuilding their lives.

The Rohingya have faced decades of discrimination and repression under successive Myanmar governments. They have been denied citizenship since 1982, making them one of the largest stateless populations in the world. Most of the Rohingya fled Myanmar after 2017 to escape the military’s crimes against humanity and possible genocide. About 900,000 Rohingya currently live in overcrowded camps in Bangladesh – an estimated 600,000 remain in Myanmar. They have been confined to camps and villages without freedom of movement and cut off from access to adequate food, health care, and education. At the same time, Bangladeshi officials have restricted similar freedoms for the Rohingya refugees in their camps.

Human Rights Watch reported that several refugees said that the new restrictions prevent them from being able to provide for their families, give their children an education, or build communities. Refugees are legally not allowed to work. However, the Rohingya started informal jobs so they could raise money for their families, putting them at risk of exploitation and arrest. The informal marketplaces became vital sources of income, especially for covering basic needs like food access, since the ration they get as aid is not enough to feed everyone in their family. In October 2021, officials began destroying shops in several camps; more than 3,000 have been destroyed, affecting tens of thousands of refugees. In addition to this, the authorities have placed several restrictions on movements between and within camps which makes it harder to see family. They have also deprived Rohingya children of the opportunity to learn, severely limiting their futures. 

The international community should pressure the Bangladesh government to reverse its restrictions because currently, the Rohingya are being deprived of all the means they need to survive.