FIELD UPDATES - Bangladesh
Situation Analysis
The mass exodus of over 700,000 Rohingya civilians from Rakhine state in Myanmar, to Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, created a humanitarian crisis that seized the attention of the world. The assaults were allegedly perpetrated by members of the Myanmar Armed Forces (Tatmadaw), at times acting in concert with members of local militias, in the course of the military “clearance” operations in October 2016 and August 2017. The widespread threat and use of sexual violence was integral to their strategy to humiliate, terrorize, and collectively punish the Rohingya community and served as a calculated tool to force them to flee their homelands and prevent their return. Rape, gang-rape, sexual slavery, forced nudity, sexual humiliation, mutilation and sexual assault are frequently followed by the killing of victims. Violence was visited upon women, including pregnant women, who are seen as custodians and propagators of ethnic identity, as well as on young children, who represent the future of the group.
List of Projects
Strengthening conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) support services and mitigation in Cox’s Bazar
The project contributed to improving access to services for survivors of CRSV and bolstering the safety and dignity of CRSV survivors and persons at risk by providing gender-based violence (GBV) case management, psychosocial support (PSS) and life skills activities. It supported the economic empowerment of women and girls and promoted their self-reliance through the provision of life skills and vocational training for livelihood opportunities in the future.
15 March 2019 to 31 December 2019
For more information on this project, please go to UNA061
Joint Communiqué/Framework of Cooperation
Framework of Cooperation on Addressing Conflict-Related Sexual Violence against the displaced Rohingya population from Myanmar hosted in Bangladesh between the Government of Bangladesh and the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, signed in September 2018. (https://tinyurl.com/y37hqlt9)