The challenges of forced migration: The Rohingya exodus to Bangladesh / Nurfarahain Shahzana Kesmat Ekbal

The Rohingyas of Myanmar are a vulnerable group, and arguably, the most persecuted minority in the world today. The cause of their sufferings are in the hands of Myanmar authorities themselves, which uses large scale fear tactics and brutal violence against the Rohingyas. By doing so, the Rohingyas’ lives are threatened, thus, they are forced to leave Myanmar to find refuge somewhere else. The forced migration of Myanmar’s Rohingyas has caused a great concern for the region and countries in close proximity to Myanmar, especially, Bangladesh. Although, this issue has been going on for quite some time, it was not until late 2017, all attention was on the Rohingyas fleeing persecution. The main destination was Bangladesh, a small densely populated country, that is projected to economically grow steadily in the coming years. However, with the massive influx of the Rohingya refugees coming into Bangladesh, it creates certain issues and challenges that could be detrimental to Bangladesh as a country and to its people. As a developing country with its own macro and micro issues, Bangladesh is overwhelmed by the numbers of Rohingyas coming in. As such this study was aimed at identifying and discussing the challenges Bangladesh has in regards to managing these refugees. Also, the objectives of this study are to provide insight into the implications of a protracted refugee crisis on the host country. In line with that, this study found that there are various multifaceted challenges and impacts Bangladesh faces when dealing with the Rohingya crisis.