News about the suffering of Rohingyas may have subsided but their troubles are far from over
KARACHI: News about the suffering of Rohingyas may have subsided but their troubles are far from over. In what is now being termed the world’s biggest refugee camp, Rohingyas are living in Kutupalong city of Bangladesh with minimal basic facilities. But regardless of the number of Rohingya refugees pouring in, which has now gone up to over a million, the state of Bangladesh has been trying their best to help the refugees.
Recently, a theatre group in Bangladesh used ‘drama therapy’ to lift the spirits of the depressed refugee population. Theatre artists dressed as clowns juggled hoops and somersaulted to attract not just young boys and girls but adults too, and make them laugh as well.
In order to make them go in for smaller families, the district’s family planning authorities have launched a drive to provide contraceptives considering that some couples have up to 19 children. They have also asked the Bangladeshi government to approve their plan for providing voluntary sterilisation services to the Rohingyas. However, considering that a majority of Muslims oppose contraceptives or sterilisation, the efficacy of such a campaign is doubtful. This is why it is important for other Muslim-majority states to come together and plead for family planning in the camps. A growing Rohingya population will not only impact Bangladesh but also other states in the region, including Pakistan.
Osama Khalid
Published in The Express Tribune, November 1st, 2017.
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