Unicef has urged increased efforts to help more than 720,000 Rohingya children who are threatened either by the approaching cyclone season in Bangladesh or by ongoing violence and denial of their basic rights in Myanmar. According to the report, an estimated 185,000 Rohingya children remain in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, fearful of the violence and horror that drove so many of their relatives and neighbours to flee. In Bangladesh, there are estimated to be 534,000 Rohingya refugee children from last year’s and previous influxes. “Some 720,000 Rohingya children are essentially trapped – either hemmed in by violence and forced displacement inside Myanmar or stranded in overcrowded camps in Bangladesh because they can’t return home,” said Manuel Fontaine, Unicef director of emergency programs. In Bangladesh, aid efforts led and overseen by the government have averted disaster, while 79,000 Rohingya have been accommodated by local communities.

Source: Dhaka Tribune February 23, 2018 12:11 UTC