Save the Children CEO Thorning-Schmidt revisits Rohingya camps in Bangladesh

Helle Thorning-Schmidt, chief executive of Save the Children International, has visited the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar for the second time.

Thorning-Schmidt, who is also a former prime minister of Denmark, visited the camps on Apr 6 and 7 and expressed her concerns over the rights of children along with other issues.

“I am impressed by the generosity the government and the people of Bangladeshi have shown the nearly one million Rohingya refugees living in Cox’s Bazar, more than half of whom are children,” she is quoted as saying by a media release from the international NGO.

The people of Bangladesh have shown “immense compassion and risen to the challenge of hosting the world’s largest refugee camp”, she added.

Thorning-Schmidt said visited the camps for the first time 18 months ago when thousands of refugees were arriving every day.

“I have spoken with refugee children who have witnessed things those no child ever should as they were forced to run for their lives in Myanmar and seek sanctuary in your communities in Bangladesh. Children are the most vulnerable in this crisis, and with so many not in education, we risk a lost generation of Rohingya children.”

Save the Children is one of the international organisations operating in the refugee camps, providing life-saving healthcare, food supplies and access to clean water and sanitation.

“We are also providing education and child protection services for the most vulnerable children in the camps. But we rely on the support of the Bangladeshi people, particularly the local host community of Cox’s Bazar whose lives have changed dramatically since the Rohingya crisis escalated nearly two years ago,” CEO Thorning-Schmidt said.

“Save the Children stands shoulder to shoulder with Bangladesh in responding to the needs of the Rohingya while they are in Bangladesh. Together, we can uphold the dignity and rights of Rohingya refugees and the host community in Bangladesh while pursuing international justice for the crimes committed against the Rohingya in Myanmar,” she added.