Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News – 23-10-2017
As the Rohingya situation continue to worsen with more than 320,000 refugee children in dire straits, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called for an end to the atrocities targeting civilians in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, and immediate and unfettered access to all children affected by the violence there.
At present, UNICEF has no access to Rohingya children in northern Rakhine state, where horrific violence since late August has driven over half a million members of the minority Muslim community to seek refuge across the border in Bangladesh.
UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake, releasing a new report says crisis is stealing the childhood of Rohingya refugee children.
“Many Rohingya refugee children in Bangladesh have witnessed atrocities in Myanmar no child should ever see, and all have suffered tremendous loss.”
In the report, titled Outcast and Desperate: Rohingya refugee children face a perilous future, UNICEF has called for urgent action in four key areas:
- International support and funding for the Bangladesh Humanitarian Response Plan and humanitarian response plan for Myanmar;
- Protection of Rohingya children and families, and immediate unfettered humanitarian access to all children affected by the violence in Rakhine State;
- Support for the safe, voluntary and dignified return of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar; and
- A long-term solution to the crisis, including implementation of the recommendations of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State.
The most pressing need for thousands of refugees and refugee children is food, safe water, sanitation and vaccinations. Psychosocial support, education and counselling is also urgently needed.
Meanwhile, the influx of refugees continues unabated – between 1,200 and 1,800 children are arriving per day (about 60 per cent the total number) and thousands more are said to be on way.
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