Rohingya Refugees: The Woes of Women (Part Two)

A Rohingya woman and her child at a refugee camp in Bangladesh. Credit: Kamrul Hasan/IPSBy Sohara Mehroze ShachiCOX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh, Dec 8 2017 (IPS)Under pouring rain, hundreds of young and expectant mothers stand in line. With her bare feet and the bottom of her dress covered in mud, Rashida is one of them, clutching her emaciated infant. She lost her husband on the treacherous trek from Myanmar to Bangladesh, and with nowhere to go and her resources exhausted, rain-drenched and standing in this long, muddy line for food and medicine for her child is her only hope.Rohingya women line up for aid. Credit: Sohara Mehroze Shachi/IPSFollowing the recent brutal campaign unleashed against the Rohingyas by the Myanmar military, over half a million refugees came to Bangladesh since August 2017, and more are arriving every day. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates that there are nearly 150,000 newly arrived women of reproductive age (15-49 years), and according to the Inter Sector Coordination Group’s September 2017 Situation Report on the crisis, there are over 50,000 pregnant and breastfeeding mothers among the new arrivals in Bangladesh who require targeted food and medical assistance.“We collaborate with some groups and help refugees living in the camp areas where there is a shortage of medical supplies,” said Andrew Day, who has been advocating for refugees for the past two years in Bangladesh. “They don’t have the means to see a doctor.”While sma...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Aid Development & Aid Featured Gender Violence Headlines Health Human Rights IPS UN: Inside the Glasshouse Migration & Refugees Poverty & SDGs Projects Women's Health Bangladesh Humanitarian Aid International Organization for M Source Type: news