Rohingyas living in Bangladesh say they will not go back to Myanmar until their safety can be guaranteed and they have equal rights, including being able to work and travel freely, said Oxfam in Bangladesh.
Many – especially women – were deeply traumatized by their experiences, including rape and seeing loved ones killed, and said they would commit suicide if forcibly repatriated before these conditions have been met, Oxfam officials at a programme in Dhaka said yesterday quoting interviews they conducted with Rohingyas.
Refugees are unwilling to return without these guarantees despite reporting feeling unsafe at night in the overcrowded, makeshift settlements, with a very real fear of kidnapping and sexual abuse.
Bangladesh and Myanmar on Tuesday formed a joint working group to start next step of work for repatriation of Rohingyas living in Bangladesh and signed the terms of reference (TOR).
The agreed TOR mandates the JWG to undertake all necessary measures to start the safe and voluntary return, resettlement and reintegration process of displaced Myanmar residents as envisaged in the “Arrangement on Return of Displaced Persons from Rakhine State.” Oxfam spoke to more than 200 Rohingyas living in the makeshift camps in the south-eastern district of Cox’s Bazar, some of whom were refugees for the third time.
In a series of group discussions and in-depth interviews all agreed that peace and equal rights were absolute prerequisites for return.
