Rohingyas
are migrating or trying to immigrate to various countries including Malaysia
through illegal and dangerous routes from Bangladesh. Human traffickers take
them illegally to different countries in exchange for money. They are choosing
this path for various reasons including the urge to escape from refugee life,
uncertainty of life and livelihood.
After
meeting with the refugees who fled Syria and went to Germany, famous UK singer
Sting got huge popularity by singing the song 'Insha Allah'. The lyrics of the song,
written with great emotion, touched the hearts of the listeners, instilled
compassion in their hearts. But it has not reduced the flow of people fleeing
the world, migrating illegally or through dangerous routes. Migration is considered important
as a container and carrier of globalization. But global migration has become a
new concern with growing irregularities and the inactivity of criminal and
smuggling rings.
Illegal
immigrants are at risk of physical and mental torture, financial loss and even
human trafficking. In addition, due to language differences, new environment,
limited employment opportunities and lack of adequate understanding of the
social and legal framework in the destination country, migrants are subjected
to new forms of discrimination and irregularities. Later, many were forced to
return to their homeland due to the strict immigration policy of the desired
country. Despite
knowing about the adverse conditions, many choose to immigrate through risky
routes to avoid social and economic factors and political situations or
violence.
In
2017, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled their country of Myanmar and
sought refuge in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, to escape political violence,
especially the army's massacres. According to the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Bangladesh government, there are about
970,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh as of November 2023. Out of them only
31 thousand 439 people were transferred to Bhasanchar. The rest are living
inhumane conditions in various refugee camps in Cox's Bazar.
On
the one hand, Rohingyas are living a miserable life in refugee camps, on the
other hand, serious crimes such as drug, arms trade and human trafficking are
increasing in Cox's Bazar in view of the growing population, social and
economic chaos. This threatens the internal security of Bangladesh.
Along
with local Bangladeshis, many Rohingyas in refugee camps are trying to cross
illegally from Bangladesh to Malaysia. According to UNHCR data, 8,312 Rohingya
refugees attempted to reach Malaysia by sea in 2018-22. 589 of them have been
buried. Many have also disappeared. If this situation continues, there may be a
negative impact on the image of Bangladesh in the outside world.
According
to the human trafficking TIP (Traffic in Persons) report published by the US
Department of State, Bangladesh's position in 2022 is at the middle level (Tier
2). That is, the steps taken by the government to prevent human trafficking are
still not enough. But the government is trying its best. It is good to say
that, recently, the European Union (EU) and the United States government have
proposed to prevent human trafficking countries from various types of
commercial contracts and investments in the labor law.
If
the tendency of Rohingyas to go to Malaysia with Bangladeshi passports does not
decrease, Bangladesh will be known as a human trafficking country in the
future. So it is important to take quick action. An ongoing study by North
South University's Center for Migration Studies (CMS) is trying to find out why
Rohingyas are moving illegally to other countries, including Malaysia, and how
they are leaving the refugee camps. In
this context, illegal immigration based on interviews with sailors, victims,
local stakeholders of asylum camps in Teknaf and Ukhia, Rohingya who went to
Malaysia or Australia and were imprisoned, later forced to return home or
returned midway after embarking on the sea journey, and even among Bangladeshis
who tried to go illegally. Trying to understand why and why it is increasing.
Illegal immigration routes:
Many of the Rohingya have little
knowledge of the illegal migration route. So they completely depend on
smugglers to get to Malaysia. Bangladeshi and Rohingya refugees who want to go
to Malaysia are first taken by smugglers to Teknaf in Cox's Bazar. The number
of women, children and newborns in this group of aspirants is always
noticeable. Illegal migrants are taken by sea from Teknaf to the sea border of
Myanmar and Bangladesh. Later they were taken to Samila coast in Myanmar by
small boat.
A
large number of aspirants are crammed into small boats on the sea journey. Then
the would-be migrants pay the smugglers in advance to go from Samila to
Malaysia and Australia. Teknaf collects more than the amount promised to be
taken from them, in some cases. Migrants are then forced to pay extra money.
According to returning migrants, it costs Tk 4 to 5 lakh to go to Malaysia this
way.
Urge to escape from miserable refugee life:
The Rohingya community in Myanmar's Rakhine state has long been subjected to widespread discrimination at the hands of the government and military. They were deprived of various social and political facilities. Many of them fled from Myanmar and tried to blend into the local Bangladeshi society. Later, they used to go to different countries of Middle East and Southeast Asia with Bangladeshi passports. However, the main purpose of their migration was to improve their economic conditions in Myanmar. In the past, Rohingyas used to go abroad only for economic reasons, according to camp chiefs or Majhids in refugee camps. But now the most migration is taking place in order to protect the existence of life.
According
to the Rohingyas, in the current situation, families of six to eight people
have to be crammed into a small space in the refugee camp. In most cases there
is only one earning member in these families. So the earning person is under
some pressure while running the family. There is no recognized system of their
work at the local level. Apart
from this, the money allocated from the United Nations World Food Program (WFP)
has now decreased from 1,200 taka to 800 taka. Therefore, many people become
interested in immigration in the hope of getting rid of the surrounding
conditions.
Absence of social activities:
Rohingya camps do not see any significant local social activities for the livelihood of the refugees. They suffer from a kind of depression. Many decided to leave the shelter to change their situation.
In
an interview with CMS, a Rohingya refugee said that he initially felt good
about fleeing to Bangladesh after being tortured by the Myanmar military. But
being crammed into the small space of the shelter has left him extremely
disillusioned with education, employment and life above all.
If one goes, pressure on others:
If any of the Rohingyas in the
refugee camps go to Malaysia illegally, there is a kind of panic among the rest
of the people living there. They resort to brokers and human traffickers when
they need to leave the camp to go abroad. Traffickers use family members or
friends of Rohingyas in Malaysia. Encourage Rohingyas to go to Malaysia with
their help. Assured support for various post-immigration needs. Apart from
this, social media is also playing a big role in this field.
Temptation of dowry-free marriage of girls:
The birth rate among the Rohingya is very high. On the one hand, there is a tendency to marry at an early age, on the other hand, the birth rate is very high. Dowry is so prevalent among the Rohingya community that no marriage takes place without a dowry. Many marriageable women do not get married just because of lack of money. Generally, the dowry amount increases when girls cross the age of 15 or 16. Rohingya men who go to Malaysia mainly take advantage of this opportunity. They convince the parents of young girls that no dowry is required if they marry. Later their wives can safely go to Malaysia.
As
the Rohingya men going to Malaysia are already known and do not ask for dowry,
the parents of young girls easily agree to such proposals. Thus they put their
daughter's life at risk. In other words, women cannot make their own decisions
about their lives. In many cases, Rohingya men try to take illegal routes to
reunite with family members left behind in refugee camps.
In
addition, Rohingyas living in Malaysia use Facebook, IMO, WhatsApp and other
social media to encourage young women to go to Malaysia. Many people took this
risk and returned home unsuccessfully. And some died at sea while taking risks.
In many cases, those who survived were sold into slavery in Myanmar. In many cases, fortunately, one
does not see the face of happiness even if one can go to Malaysia. They were
sold there. It is arranged that he cannot communicate with the family in any
way.
Insecurity in refugee camps:
Talking to the local Rohingya
leaders, it was revealed that fights and murders between the local Rohingya
criminal gangs are a daily occurrence in the shelter camp. This has created a
fear of danger to the lives of ordinary refugees. These incidents in many cases
make them worried about the security of their future life. Many people are
forced to go to Malaysia for the safety of themselves and their families due to
frequent kidnappings and murders in the refugee camps.
This problem of human trafficking of Rohingya is not the only problem of Bangladesh. This is a global problem. As Bangladesh is suffering due to the illegal immigration of Rohingyas, Malaysia is also being known as a human trafficking country. Rohingyas also try to travel illegally to countries like Malaysia as well as Indonesia, Thailand and Australia. There is a fear of damaging the reputation of all those countries.
In
fact, it is not possible to reduce Rohingya migration by creating legal
framework only. Strong and conscientious states must put pressure on the
Myanmar government to repatriate the Rohingyas with due dignity. They should be
guaranteed safe residence in that country. In this lies the solution to all
problems. Until then, like the lyrics of Sting's song, there will be hope for
the Rohingyas who want to cross the stormy waves of the sea.