Gender-based violence and insecurity have increased in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh. There is a clear link between this distressing development and violent dynamics in the wider Bangladesh-Myanmar border region. This policy brief presents findings of an empirical study conducted between April and June 2024 in the refugee camps and adjacent areas along the border and underscores the need for holistic interventions that extend far beyond conventional measures against gender-based violence within the Rohingya camps by addressing the roots of insecurity and violence, including their cross-border dimensions.
The Government of Bangladesh and the international community have so far regarded GBV against
Rohingya refugees as a humanitarian problem that is taking place within camps. While it is true that
most GBV incidents occur in the refugee camps, this focus on the conditions and actors in the camps is too narrow. Given the rising violence against Rohingya women committed by members of armed groups and the growing number of forced conscriptions of Rohingya men, all stakeholders need to urgently address the deteriorating security situation in the camps and the wider Bangladesh-Myanmar border region and consider how insecurity and GBV are linked to the ongoing war in Myanmar.
The research was led by bicc (Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies) as part of the XCEPT programme.