‘We have no future here’ Rohingya teenager says on life in the world’s largest refugee camp

WARNING: This story contains disturbing details.

Enam Uddin was 12 when he and his family, along with around 742,000 people, were forced to flee Myanmar in August 2017 to Bangladesh following a crackdown on ethnic minorities by the country’s military.

“What I remember is that, in my lifetime, the Burmese government has been persecuting us since 2012. They don’t allow us to practice our religion, Islam. They don’t allow us to go to university. They don’t give us. We can’t visit our relatives from village to village another,” said Uddin, who is now 18 years old. Now Matt Galloway.

Accounts of the arson, rape, and mass killing of Rohingya — described by experts and rights groups as genocide and crimes against humanity — occurred during the crackdown and have since been passed on to International Court of Justice with International Criminal Court.

“He was raped by our mother and brother. Our brother was killed. Many children were thrown into the fire,” said Uddin.

Outrage by the international community at the atrocities that took place during the crisis gave Uddin hope that life in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, would be a temporary endeavor that would see him and his five siblings return home within months.

“But when I saw that there was no chance to go back… At that time I felt that I could not go to my home in such a short time,” Uddin said.

After spending nearly six years in the refugee camp, Uddin and others said they felt like the world had forgotten them. The possibility of a return home is long after Myanmar’s military coup, which took place in February 2021 and saw the civilian government and the imprisonment of its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.

With nearly one million Rohingya now estimated to be living in Cox’s Bazar, overcrowded and poorly constructed shelters have made the refugee site vulnerable to disease and massive fires, with the latest blaze erupting last Sunday, leaving more than 12,000 homeless people, half of them are children.

Ignored and forgotten

The teenage years are typically a time of self-discovery and preparation for young adulthood. For Uddin, the past six years have been a recurring cycle of optimism about one day returning home, disappointment at the lack of international support, and desperate efforts to escape the violence and lawlessness that pervades the refugee camps.

“The life of the refugees is terrible. I call it a life of murder. There is less access to human rights,” said Uddin. “There is very little freedom of movement. Also, there is no formal education. This is one of the most important things for human rights.”

“Sometimes I feel that the world forgets that it is too late to solve our crisis … and also that humanitarian aid is decreasing every day.”

Now 18 years old, with no clear path as to what will happen next, Uddin says it is becoming increasingly difficult to pursue his dreams of becoming a doctor and achieving his goals. “to work for my community and transform it into a peaceful, educated and bright community.”

“But I don’t have that kind of future,” Uddin said.

Compound crisis

Travel and work restrictions imposed by the Bangladeshi government make it nearly impossible for Rohingya to move freely outside the camps or find legal employment. The government’s policy is intended to prevent what they fear could be permanent integration into Bangladeshi society.

“The government of Bangladesh and the people of Bangladesh are very friendly. We must challenge ourselves to find another country in the same economic situation, like Bangladesh – very poor itself – to host millions of refugees like this,” Domenico Scalpelli, World Food Program. Country Director for Bangladesh, to Matt Galloway.

“At the same time, the government is careful not to implement a solution that can be considered permanent integration. What is considered the main solution is repatriation back to Myanmar.”

These policies make large populations dependent on humanitarian aid for basics such as food. But recently that is also under threat as aid groups continue to fail to meet their funding goals and now ration supplies to meet the needs of the people.

“If a significant contribution is not made quickly, then there is a risk of malnutrition increasing and exceeding the emergency threshold level,” said Scalpelli.

What’s next

For Uddin, repatriation has been a long time coming. He is now willing to live in a third country, if the opportunity arises.

“As I am a student, I have a dream. I am ready to take that opportunity. But many of the Rohingya do not agree with it because they want to return to the country,” Uddin said.

Canada and much of the international community have long expressed the goal of repatriating the Rohingya as a key solution to the crisis. But I amHis report details the federal government’s strategy, resettlement is briefly mentioned as a path under study. However, the mass resettlement program to Canada has not yet been implemented.

In the meantime, Uddin is using social media platforms to rally international support.

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Written and produced by Niza Lyapa Nondo.