DHAKA: Aid groups raised an alert on Thursday that rapidly decreasing humanitarian assistance threatens the lives of 1 million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh as the UN has further reduced their food rations.
Since the beginning of June, the UN World Food Program鈥檚 food aid for the Rohingya sheltering in Bangladesh has been cut to $8 per month. The WFP first reduced the rations in March, from $12 to $10, citing funding shortages.
Even before the first reduction, the rations provided to the Rohingya were already insufficient and posed health problems for the refugee population. UN special rapporteurs warned in February that the refugee population in Bangladesh was food insecure, with more than a third of children stunted and underweight.
Most of the refugees affected by the cuts are those who escaped deadly violence and persecution in neighboring Myanmar during a military crackdown in 2017. They live in cramped camps of Cox鈥檚 Bazar district 鈥� the world鈥檚 largest refugee settlement 鈥� where they cannot be legally employed to earn their livelihood as Bangladesh is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention.
As the new food reduction came into force, NGO Platform Cox鈥檚 Bazar sounded an alarm that it will have severe impacts on the refugees and the host community.
鈥淭his reduction in ration will push the current food assistance provided to the Rohingyas鈥ar below the recognized global humanitarian standard of 2,100 kcal, entailing a significant drop in refugees鈥� food intake,鈥� the group, which includes BRAC, Plan International, Save the Children, and the Norwegian Refugee Council, said in a call for action.
鈥淓ven before the first round of food ration cut in March 2023, with WFP鈥檚 food assistance, four in 10 families were not consuming enough food.鈥�
The platform warned of looming tensions with the host community and multi-dimensional social conflict.
鈥淐uts in essential humanitarian assistance have severe impacts on the refugees and the host community, which lead potentially to criminal activities, such as theft and robbery, increased domestic violence, gender-based violence, and neglect toward persons with disabilities and older individuals in the community,鈥� the group said.
Rezaul Karim, head of humanitarian operations of BRAC 鈥� the largest development organization based in Bangladesh and NGO Platform member 鈥� told Arab News that the impacts of the new food cut were expected to be seen already in the next few days.
鈥淒ue to this budget cut, a crisis will unfold in the families, resulting in uncertainties and frustration,鈥� he said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a matter of great concern鈥t may have negative impacts on the law-and-order situation since people tend to become restive in such poverty.鈥�
Asif Munir, a renowned Bangladeshi expert on migration and refugees, also warned of a possible social and health crisis beyond Cox鈥檚 Bazar if Bangladesh, a developing country whose own citizens also often face malnutrition, is left to support the Rohingya alone.
鈥淚f the Rohingya suffer from malnutrition and lower immunity, it will have a broader impact on the society of Cox鈥檚 Bazar,鈥� he said.
鈥淭o mitigate the fund crisis, Bangladesh may request assistance from its allies or friendly countries, including food support also. This aid may come through international aid agencies, apart from the initiatives of the WFP and UN.鈥�