Children living in Cox’s Bazar Rohingya camp are at higher risk of social menace including trafficking, child labour and marriage due to worsening socioeconomic conditions caused by Covid-19 pandemic, according to a statement by Education and Development Foundation (Educo).
The non-governmental organisation (NGO) released the statement on Sunday marking the World Refugee Week, observed from June 15 to 21.
Over 1,500 coronavirus cases have been reported among the Cox’s Bazar host population, and at least 38 people have been infected by the deadly virus in the refugee camps, the report said.
However, according to Educo, these figures are conservative and the actual caseloads could be much higher.
The NGO added that the accurate information about illness and measures to prevent the spread of virus is failing to reach many people in the camp.
Matiur Rahaman, emergency response head of mission of Educo Cox’s Bazar, said that Rohingya children in the refugee community were already facing various forms of violence and risks due to poor living conditions.
Now the pandemic has increased their sufferings manifold. They are now cut off from the outside world as the schools remain closed, and many of them do not have access to alternative mode of learning, he added.
“We know from experience that children are likely to suffer violence in their homes and communities as families are going through extremely uncertain times,” Mr Rahaman added.
He further said that it is only a matter of time before we see a larger outbreak particularly in the refugee camps, and there is an acute crisis of hygiene kits and protective equipment such as facemasks and disinfectants to prevent children from getting infected.
“We know that many people here do not have access to reliable information, and this is what we need to address urgently,” he mentioned.
The statement added that Educo’s Covid-19 emergency response funded by Childfund Korea will distribute hygiene kits to 2,000 households in the refugee camps, personal protective equipment (PPE), mental health and psychological support to vulnerable children and adolescents and unconditional cash support in Cox’s Bazar area.
