Arakan News Agency
A high-profile Australian delegation organized by the Refugee Council of Australia and others will visit Rohingya camps in Bangladesh this week to draw international attention to “one of the world’s most prolonged humanitarian emergencies”.
The visit comes in collaboration with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Save the Children, and UNHCR, with the aim of calling for urgent action and long-term solutions for Rohingya refugees.
The Rohingya advocate Noor Aziza and prominent human rights advocate, and former Socceroo Craig Foster will join the delegation. Craig Foster, who will take part in football activities in the camps, emphasised the powerful role sport can play in refugee communities.
Dr Graham Thom, Advocacy Coordinator of the council, says this visit is a chance to shine a light on a crisis the world cannot afford to ignore after the Rohingya have endured decades of persecution in their home country and while over a million Rohingya who have been forced to flee remain in limbo, trapped in the world’s largest refugee camp with ever dwindling resources.
“The Rohingya people face one of the most protracted and politically neglected humanitarian emergencies in the world. In Cox’s Bazar, MSF medical teams witness every day the toll that statelessness, overcrowding, and extreme shortages of medical care take on people’s health and dignity” MSF Australia spokesperson, Humanitarian Affairs Lead Arunn Jegan, said.
Save the Children Australia CEO Mat Tinkler echoes those concerns saying that Rohingya refugees’ needs are very urgent with the concerning global shift towards cutting life-saving aid programs, the situation on the ground in places like Cox’s Bazar is becoming more precarious. “It’s time to move beyond short-term fixes” he added.
Cox’s Bazar is currently home to nearly one million Rohingya refugees who fled mass violence in 2017. Eight years on, most remain in camps with limited access to education. The Australian delegation will seek to amplify the voices of Rohingya refugees, particularly women and youth.
