Child journalists describe challenges Rohingya children face at refugee camps

The basic rights human beings are born with, as if, not meant for the children born in Rohingya families in Myanmar, according to an investigation by a group of Bangladeshi child journalists.

This is the way 20 newly-appointed child journalists of bdnews24.com’s ‘Hello’ summed up their visit to Rohingya camps at a discussion on Sunday at Cox's Bazar.

Thye witnessed first-hand the deprivation suffered by the Rohingya children during the first assignment at the Rohingya camps of Cox’s Bazar.

‘Hello’, the first Bangla website for child journalism, organised the discussion titled 'Rohingya Children Under Threat' at Royal Tulip Sea Pearl Beach Resort on Sunday ahead of the Universal Children’s Day with support from UN children’s agency UNICEF.

After a brief training by ‘Hello’ on journalism and videography on Friday, the 20 child journalists, picked up from 300 students from the institutions in Cox’s Bazar, hit the field, Balukhali and Kutupalong refugee camps, on Saturday.

At the discussion moderated by bdnews24.com Editor-in-Chief Toufique Imrose Khalidi, they also shared ideas about how to pull the children out of plights the child journalists saw at the camps.

AM Sakil Faizulah represented UNICEF, the UN agency for children.

According to the child journalists, the misery of the Rohingya children started even before they were born.

It was almost impossible to ensure the rights of children in the situation their families endured at villages in Rakhine State.

The families became poorer in decades of persecution in Myanmar, as curses like child marriage, illiteracy, and superstition grew among them.

Cox’s Bazar Saikat Girls’ High School student Lamia Akter said she saw a woman, who still looked like a teen, but already gave birth to five children.

She said there were tendencies among the Rohingya women to exaggerate their age apparently to avoid the stigma of child marriage.

A mother of two first claimed she was 25, but later admitted to Lamia that she was only 15.

Another child journalist, Ashikur Rahman, said he saw many of the Rohingyas defecating out in the open though there were sanitary toilets in the camps.

They told Ashikur that nothing would happen if children were defecating in the open.

He said he saw many of the Rohingyas lying in their shelters with diseases, but they have no complaint about treatment.

“They say they are receiving treatment, but they can’t recover from diarrhoea,” he said.

The child journalists said he spoke to a doctor at the camp who said many of the refugees were following medication, but not drinking safe water and using the sanitary latrines.

“That’s why diarrhoea is not leaving them,” he said, quoting the doctor.         

Many, including adults, were being affected by the drains flowing very near their shelters.

Child journalist Rekha Akter said she saw not many steps to raise awareness among the refugees about prevention of water-borne diseases.

“I’ve seen children eating without washing their hands after playing on the muds around the latrines,” she said.

Ibrahim Khalil, whose assignment was on sanitisation at the camps, said the number of latrines set up by the aid agencies was not adequate for the vast population.

At one place, families at 400 shelters share only eight latrines. At the tube-wells, five people have to bath at a time.

Reshmi Akter said she saw many makeshift schools at the camps, where the children got writing sheets and pens, but no books.

“It’s an allegation against the UNICEF,” Khalidi said, pointing his finger at Sakil, who replied, “I think it’s not right. I’ve seen the children were provided with Burmese books.”

Reshmi pointed out another problem – she saw no arrangement of education for children over 15 years of age. 

Sakil admitted that such children must get non-formal education following rules set up by the Bangladesh government.

“We’re doing everything for six months now, assuming that the Rohingyas will return to their homeland,” he added.

Jannatul Nayeem Zerin said she saw many of the Rohingya children could not enjoy the arrangement for their entertainment at the camps as their parents fear they would go missing.