Ensuring Healthcare Rights for Rohingya (FDMN) in Bangladesh: An Empirical Observation

Authors

  • Wakila Hussain Bangladesh University of Professionals Author
  • Abtahee Mohammad Taha Tulukder Author
  • Shawline Jahan Shefa Author

Keywords:

Episodic & Thematic Framing, Crisis frames, Ukraine crisis, Bangladeshi Newspapers

Abstract

The Rohingya crisis, an ongoing humanitarian challenge in Bangladesh, has created critical difficulty in ensuring adequate healthcare for the Rohingya (FDMN) owing to Bangladesh’s commitments under several international legal instruments that require Bangladesh to uphold healthcare rights for everyone within its territory, including FDMN residents. However, neither the existent national legal instruments nor the existing literature has specifically addressed the issue of ensuring their healthcare rights. Bangladesh, not being a party to the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees of 1951, has been reluctant to secure their legal healthcare rights, and the extant studies do not address the state of healthcare access for FDMN from a legal perspective, especially in the post-pandemic period. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of legal frameworks at both the national and international levels in implementing healthcare rights for forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals (FDMN). Employing a mixed-methods approach, the research involved conducting key informant interviews (KII) with stakeholders and administering surveys to gather insights into the healthcare experiences of FDMN. The key findings highlight the repercussions of the lack of specific national legislation in ensuring healthcare rights for FDMN in Bangladesh and suggest actionable strategies to improve healthcare access for this vulnerable population.

References

References

Adeoye-Olatunde, O.A. and Olenik, N.L. (2021) ‘Research and scholarly methods: Semi-structured interviews’,’ Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, 4(10), pp. 1358-1367. doi: https://doi. org/10. 1002/jac5.1441

Afrin, Z. (2017) ‘Combating Domestic Violence in Bangladesh: Law, Policy and Other Relevant Considerations’,’ Annual Survey of International and Comparative Law, 22(1), pp. 161-173. Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.ggu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1208&context=annlsurvey (Accessed: 22 May 2024).

Amnesty International (1997) Refugees: Human rights have no borders. Available at: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/act34/003/1997/en/ (Accessed: 15 May 2024).

Azad, M.A.K. et al. (2022) ‘Family planning knowledge, attitude and practice among Rohingya women living in refugee camps in Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study’, Reproductive Health, 19(1), p. 105. doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-022-01410-0

Bhatia, A. et al. (2018) ‘The Rohingya in Cox’s Bazar’, Health and Human Rights Journal, 20(2), pp. 105-122. Available at: https://www.ncbi. nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6293360/ (Accessed: 15 May 2024).

CEDAW Committee (2011) CEDAW Statement on the Anniversaries of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. Available at: https://www.ohchr. org/sites/default/files/documents/HRBodies/CEDAW/Statements/StatementAnniversaries1951Convention.pdf (Accessed: 22 May 2024).

Chickera, A. de (2021) Stateless and persecuted: What next for the Rohingya? migrationpolicy.org. Available at: https://www.migrationpolicy.org/ article/stateless-persecuted-rohingya (Accessed: 08 June 2024).

Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (1999) CEDAW General Recommendation No. 24: Article 12 of the Convention (Women and Health). Available at: https://www.refworld.org/legal/ general/cedaw/1999/en/11953 (Accessed: 22 May 2024).

Desk, T. (2024) ‘Study: Rohingya mental health crisis in Myanmar labeled genocide’, Dhaka Tribune, 25 April. Available at: https://www. dhakatribune.com/world/asia/344921/study-rohingya-mental-health-crisis-in-myanmar (Accessed: 15 May 2024).

Desmet, E. (2012) Implementing the Convention on the Rights of the Child for ‘youth’: who and how?’, International Journal of Children’s Rights, 20, pp. 3-23. Available at: http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-3095645 (Accessed :22 May 2024).

Fahim, M.H.K. (2022) ‘Forced migration of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar to neighboring countries’, Society & Sustainability, 4(1), pp. 1–10. doi: https://doi.org/10.38157/societysustainability.v4i1.373

Faisal, M.M. and Ahmed, Z. (2022) ‘Stateless Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh: Life and Livelihood Challenges’, Journal of Social and Development Sciences, 11(4), pp. 11-23. Available at: https://ojs.amhinternational.com/index.php/jsds/article/view/3326/2128 (Accessed: 15 May 2024).

Goldhagen, J. et al. (2016) Toward a Child Rights Theory in Pediatric Bioethics’, Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, 58(3), pp. 306-319. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27157347/ (Accessed: 22 May 2024).

Goodman, A. and Mahmood, I. (2019) ‘The Rohingya Refugee Crisis of Bangladesh: Gender Based Violence and the Humanitarian Response’, Open Journal of Political Science, 9(3), pp. 490-501. doi: https://doi.org/10.4236/ojps.2019.93027

Gupta, S.D., Zaman, M.S., and Begum, K. (2020) ‘Rohingya children in Bangladesh: Safeguarding their health-related rights in relation to the available healthcare system’, Global Campus Human Rights Journal, 4, pp. 25-47. doi: https://doi.org/20.500.11825/1706

Handayani, I. (2019) Concept and Position of Peremptory Norms (Jus Cogens) in International Law: A Preliminary Study’, Hasanuddin Law Review, 5(2), pp. 235-252. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.20956/halrev.v5i2.1709

Hannum, H. (1998) The UDHR in National and International Law’, Health and Human Rights, 3(2), pp. 144-158. doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/4065305

Hansen, K., Świderska, A. (2023) ‘Integrating open- and closed-ended questions on attitudes towards outgroups with different methods of text analysis’, Behavior Research Methods. doi: https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-023-02218-x

Haque, M. E. (2017) ‘Protection of economic, social and cultural rights: a critical analysis of the fundamental principles of state policy in the constitution of Bangladesh’. Monash University. doi: 10.4225/03/5897e15dd6345

Haque, M.M. (2017) ‘Rohingya Ethnic Muslim Minority and the 1982 Citizenship Law in Burma’, Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, 37(4), pp. 454–469. doi:10.1080/13602004.2017.1399600

Health Sector Cox’s Bazar (2022) The Health Sector Strategic Plan 2023-24. Available at: https://rohingyaresponse.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/ Health-Sector-Strategic-Plan-2023-2024.pdf (Accessed: 23 May 2024).

Heckathorn, D.D. (2011) Snowball Versus Respondent-Driven Sampling’, Sociological methodology, 41(1), pp. 355-366. doi: https://doi. org/10.1111%2Fj.1467-9531.2011.01244.x

Islam, M. and Habib, S.E. (2024) ‘“I don’t want my marriage to end”: a qualitative investigation of the sociocultural factors influencing contraceptive use among married Rohingya women residing in refugee camps in Bangladesh’, Reproductive Health, 21(1), p. 32. doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-024-01763-8

Islam, M.M. and Nuzhath, T. (2018) ‘Health risks of Rohingya refugee population in Bangladesh: a call for global attention’, Journal of Global Health, 8(2), p. 020309. doi: https://doi.org/10.7189/jogh.08.020309

Islam, R. (2022) ‘Human Rights in the Constitution of Bangladesh’, The Daily Star, 4 November. Available at: https://www.thedailystar.net/ supple ments/50-years-our-constitution-original-ideals-vs-reality/news/human-rights-the-constitution-bangladesh-3160256 (Accessed: 22 May 2024).

Joarder, T. et al. (2020) ‘A record review on the health status of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh’, Cureus, 12(8), pp. 1-8. doi: https://doi.org/10. 7759/cureus.9753

Kanter, A.S. (2022) ‘Potential Benefits and Limitations of the New Human Rights Indicators for the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities’, AJIL Unbound, 116, pp. 69–73. doi:10.1017/aju.2022.10

Khan, N.Z. et al. (2019) ‘Displaced Rohingya Children at High Risk for Mental Health Problems: Findings from Refugee Camps within Bangladesh’, Child: Care, Health and Development, 45(1), pp. 28-35. doi: https://doi. org/10.1111/cch.12623

Khanna, P. and Kimmel, Z. (2016) Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) for Youth. Available at: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/Library/Publications/2016/CEDAW-for-Youth.pdf (Accessed: 22 May 2024).

Limited, I.A.C. (2023) Inadequate healthcare services at the Rohingya camp inducing vulnerabilities, Inspira Advisory and Consulting Ltd. Available at:https://inspira-bd.com/inadequate-healthcare-services-at-the-rohingya-cam p-inducing-vulnerabilities/ (Accessed: 15 May 2024).

Mezmur, B.D. (2023) Based Solely on their Date of Birth? Rethinking Age Discrimination against Children under the Convention on the Rights of the Child’, Harvard Human Rights Journal, 36, pp. 261-281. Available at:https://journals.law.harvard.edu/hrj/wp-content/uploads/sites/83/2023 /12/36HHRJ261-Mezmur.pdf (Accessed: 22 May 2024).

Milton, A.H. et al. (2017) ‘Trapped in statelessness: Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh’, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(8), pp. 1-8. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph 14080942

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (2022) SRH Working Group’s Strategy on Family Planning for the Forcibly Displaced Myanmar National (FDMN) Humanitarian Crisis 2022-2025. Available at: https://ro hingyaresponse.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Family-Plann in g-Stra tegy-for-the-Forcibly-Displaced-Myanmar-National-FDMN-Humanitarian-Crisis-2022-25.pdf (Accessed: 23 May 2024).

Mistry, S.K. et al. (2021) ‘Difficulties faced by older Rohingya (forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals) adults in accessing medical services amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh’, BMJ Global Health, 6, pp. 1-10. doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2021-007051

Moore, N. (2006) ‘Desk research’, in How to Do Research: The Practical Guide to Designing and Managing Research Projects. Facet, pp. 106–111.

Nasar, S. et al. (2023) ‘Livelihood challenges of single female household heads in the Rohingya and host communities in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic’, BMC Public Health, 23(1), p. 2084. doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16964-2

National Human Rights Commission (2015) JAMAKON Report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. Available at: https://nhrc. portal.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/nhrc.portal.gov.bd/page/348ec5eb_22f8_4754_bb62_6a0d15ba1513/JAMAKON%20Report%20to%20the%20UN%20Committee%20on%20the%20Rights%20of%20the%20Child.pdf (Accessed: 22 May 2024).

Nuri, R.P. et al. (2022) ‘The Bangladeshi Rights and Protection of Persons with Disability Act of 2013: A Policy Analysis’, Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 33(3), pp. 178-187. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/ 1044 2073 2110 66789

Nutrition Sector Cox’s Bazar (2023) Nutrition Sector Multi-Year Strategy 2023-2025. Available at: https://reliefweb.int/report/bangladesh/coxs-bazar-nutrition-sector-multi-year-strategy-2023-2025 (Accessed: 23 May 2024).

Pavone, I.R. (2017) ‘Article 25 [Health]’ in Fina, V.D., Cera, R., and Palmisano, G. (eds.) The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Switzerland: Springer, pp. 471.

Ponto, J. (2015) ‘Understanding and Evaluating Survey Research’, Journal of the Advanced Practitioner in Oncology, 6(2), pp. 168–171. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4601897/ (Accessed: 20 May 2024).

Rahman, M.R. et al. (2020) ‘A rapid assessment of health literacy and health status of Rohingya refugees living in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh following the August 2017 exodus from Myanmar: A cross-sectional study’, Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, 5(3), pp. 110–123. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed5030110

Rawal, L.B. et al. (2021) ‘Health problems and utilization of health services among Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals in Bangladesh’, Global Health Research and Policy, 6, pp. 1-13. doi: https://doi.org/10. 1186/s41256-021-00223-1

Riley, A. et al. (2020) ‘Systematic human rights violations, traumatic events, daily stressors and mental health of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh’, Conflict and Health, 14, pp. 1-14. doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13031-020-00306-9

Rohingya refugee crisis explained (2023) USA for UNHCR. The Un Refugee Agency. Available at: https://www.unrefugees.org/news/rohingya-refug ee- crisis-explained/ (Accessed: 15 May 2024).

Rohingya Response (2024) Joint Response Plan Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis. Available at: https://reporting.unhcr.org/sites/default/files/2024-03/JRP% 202024 .pdf (Accessed: 15 May 2024).

Sabuj, M. (2024) ‘The Right to Citizenship of Rohingya Children of Bangladeshi Descent Under International Human Rights Law’, Statute Law Review, 45(1), pp. 1-13. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/slr/hmae011

Sejan, S.S. (2022) ‘Bangladesh’s contribution to standards on refugee protection’, The Daily Star, 11 November. Available at: https://www. thedailystar.net/law-our-rights/news/bangladeshs-contribution-standards-refugee-protection-3166331 (Accessed: 15 May 2024).

Series, L. (2015) ‘The development of disability rights under international law: from charity to human rights’, Disability & Society, 30(10), pp. 1590–1593. doi: 10.1080/09687599.2015.1066975

Siegfried, K. (2022) Young Rohingya refugees are helping to turn world’s largest Camp Green, UNHCR. Available at: https://www.unhcr. org/news/stories/young-rohingya-refugees-are-helping-turn-worlds-large st-camp-green (Accessed: 15 May 2024).

Silva, M.D. et al. (2016) The Potential Value of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child in Pediatric Bioethics Settings’, Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, 58(3), pp. 290-305. doi: https://doi. org/10.1353/pbm.2016.0012

Supaat, D.I. (2014) ‘Establishing the Best Interests of the Child Rule as an International Custom’, International Journal of Business, Economics and Law, 5(4), pp. 109-114. Available at: https://ijbel.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/LAW-48-Establishing-The-Best-Interests-Of-The-Child-Rule-As-An-International-Customs.pdf (accessed: 22 May 2024).

UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (2013) General comment No. 15 (2013) on the right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health (art. 24). Available at: https://www.refworld. org/legal/general/crc/2013/en/96127 (Accessed: 23 May 2024).

Valerio, A.M. et al. (2016) ‘Comparing two sampling methods to engage hard-to-reach communities in research priority setting’, BMC Medical Research Methodology, 16, pp. 1-16. doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-016-0242-z

Wali, N. et al. (2018) ‘Integrating human rights approaches into public health practices and policies to address health needs amongst Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh: a systematic review and meta-ethnographic analysis’, Archives of Public Health, 76, pp. 1-14. doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-018-0305-1

WHO’s transformative initiative enhances healthcare for refugees in Rohingya Camps (2024) World Health Organization. Available at: https://www.who.int/bangladesh/news/feature-stories/item/who-transfor mative-initiative-enhances-healthcare-for-refugees-in-rohingya-camps (Accessed: 15 May 2024).

Zahra, F.K. (2019) ‘The Liminality of Rohingyas and Challenges to their Repatriation: An Analysis in the Context of Bangladesh’, Jagannath University Journal of Arts, 9(1), pp. 219-230. Available at: https://jnu.ac.bd/journal /assets/pdf/9_1_357.pdf (Accessed: 15 May 2024).

Zakaria, F.B. (2019) ‘Religion, mass violence, and illiberal regimes: Recent research on the Rohingya in Myanmar’, Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, 38(1), pp. 98–111. doi: https://doi.org/10. 1177/1868103 419845583

Downloads

Published

2026-11-04