They live in an "open prison," a life like hell
Rohingya communities in Bangladesh are on the verge of collapse
"LEGO" talks to the mental health team at "Doctors Without Borders".
From the source
The Mental Health Supervisor follows up the conditions of mental patients in the unit.
From the source
Assia: “I hid in the kitchen with my children so that we would not be attacked.
When violence broke out in the camps. ”
Farouk: “Nobody wants to be a refugee.
The life we live here is not easy at all. ”
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The problems of the Rohingya Muslims who fled to Bangladesh to escape the persecution and killing they were subjected to in their country, Myanmar, at the hands of the military government are exacerbated by the ethnic discrimination they faced, which prompted them to emigrate.
Hundreds of thousands of these people inside Bangladesh are being ignored by the international community and a lack of food and medicine supplies, which affected their health, physically and psychologically, and made them frustrated and feeling hopeless.
The "Doctors Without Borders" organization for humanitarian services, which works in the Rohingya camps with a number of humanitarian organizations there, tried to shed light on some of these problems by conveying the suffering on the words of the owners, through the following investigation:
hard life
(Farooq) lives in a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh. “Nobody wants to be a refugee,” he talks about the situation.
The life we live here is not easy at all. ”
“We live in an open-air prison,” he continues.
The life of a refugee is like hell, and days go by without conditions changing.
We cannot leave the area designated for the camps, because we need a special permit to exit, and such a permit is not granted except under certain circumstances, such as the need for medical care or in emergencies. ”
He adds, "I sometimes bite myself to see if I can sense something, and I have already committed suicide."
Today, they have had to live in overcrowded camps for the past three years, with no legal status or hope for the future, which has implications for the mental health of Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar.
The "Covid-19" pandemic added more restrictions and pressure on their lives.
Looking beyond the pandemic, there are no signs of improvement in the camps. Rather, the residents' discomfort increases as a result of the ongoing relocation of some refugees to other locations, in order to address the problem of overcrowding.
In this regard, a rumor circulated in 2015 that the refugees would be transferred to Bhasan Shar, a mass of sediments that formed an "island" 30 kilometers from the mainland.
In December 2020, however, these claims became true.
And before that, specifically in May of the same year, about 300 Rohingya refugees who were rescued at sea were transferred to this island to be subjected to quarantine due to the outbreak of "Covid-19".
However, these refugees never left the island and little is known about the conditions they faced while in detention.
In early December, more than 1,600 additional people joined these refugees from the camps in Cox's Bazar.
To date, it is estimated that more than 3,000 people have been transferred to Bhasan Shar.
It is possible that more Rohingya will die soon, as the authorities claim that the island has a capacity of 100,000 people.
Independent humanitarian organizations, including the United Nations, still must obtain permission to access this island, fueling growing concerns about the conditions prevailing there.
A fire recently broke out in the Nayabara refugee camp, destroying some 550 shelters, which were estimated to house some 3,500 refugees according to news reports.
Although there were no casualties and only a few people sustained minor injuries, for those who live in this camp, the fire caused tremendous disruption to their daily lives.
Cut back on services
Before that, services in the camps were reduced by 80%, including medical care services and the distribution of food and water, mainly provided by humanitarian organizations, in order to help limit movement in order to counter the spread of "Covid-19".
The growing negative impacts of the months-long reduction in humanitarian support translate into escalating tensions on the ground due to the daily struggle to meet basic needs, especially for a community that is increasingly being contained, restricted and placed in a position to rely on humanitarian assistance.
All these factors combined have exacerbated the psychological stress experienced by Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, making their lives more difficult, and this stress eventually escalated and finally turned into violence.
Tension of "Asia"
(Asia) seemed very tense when she arrived at Kutupalong Hospital, which is affiliated with Doctors Without Borders.
She needed to tell someone what she had experienced in October during a 12-day clash between two Rohingya groups in the camps.
In a trembling voice, (Asia) described the violence she witnessed, saying: “I hid in the kitchen with my children so that we would not be attacked.
When violence broke out in the camps, the men were not at home.
We heard the sound of gunfire, and we stayed silent and closed all doors.
We were scared and traumatized. ”
After the violence, many refugees and their relatives left their shelters and moved to other parts of the camp that were not affected by the clashes.
In this context, Cathy Lustus, director of mental health activities at Doctors Without Borders, says that despite the recent escalation, the situation is not hopeless, and there are steps that can be taken to improve the situation of those living in the camps and, accordingly, their mental health.
“The best thing that can improve a person’s psychological state is to restore a sense of security,” she says.
Having a certain degree of independence or control over the future is a critical factor in generating a sense of security.
This includes things like involving communities in decision-making processes, or providing a sense of independence and control over an individual's future, and this helps mitigate the long-term effects of trauma.
“When the future of a group is uncertain, and when the population is not integrated into society, this creates a feeling of insecurity,” Lustus said.
"Feeling that one's life is threatened is something that leads to impotence and the belief that nothing makes a difference, and this can have a great impact on people's mental health."
Violence test
Lego, a volunteer at Kutupalong Hospital, in turn experienced violence while staying in school with her family and parents.
"We left our homes about 20 days ago and took shelter in a school building inside the camp," she says.
As she talks, Lego holds a piece of paper and rolls it over and over again.
Of course, the MSF mental health staff noted that she avoided eye contact, and that she might try to control her feelings by keeping herself busy.
"I'm really tense and frustrated, and I'm thinking about the future," she continues.
I have multiple thoughts, including that there is no future or hope for us here.
"We are trapped in this place, and the restrictions imposed on movement and the impossibility of getting the opportunity to work our lives make our lives even more difficult."
Despite the multiple mounting challenges, hope continues to arise from within the camps.
He says (Farouk): «I have many dreams.
I want to visit and explore other places.
"I want to return to my home in Arakan, in Rakhine State in Myanmar, as long as we get justice and our rights."
Lustus:
“When the future of a group is uncertain, when the population is not integrated into society, this creates a feeling of insecurity.
"Feeling that one's life is threatened is something that leads to disability, and believing that nothing will make a difference, and that can have a great impact on people's mental health."
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