Humanitarian Action

A world of pain in three stories. This is the refugee crisis today

I didn't think I would return here again, I hoped I would live in my homeland."Rohingya grandmother Rahima Khatun (centre), 55, stands outside her shelter in Kutupalong camp, Bangladesh with her five children and seven grandchildren. Rahima was first made a refugee in 1978 at the age of 14, then again in 1992. On that occasion, her eldest daughter died of illness after the young family fled Myanmar. ; More than 640,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar, seeking safety in Bangladesh in 2017. While UNHCR intensified efforts to respond to this mass displacement and provide shelter in and around existing camps near Cox’s Bazar, the sheer numbers mean there is much hardship to contend with. Whole families, young widowed mothers and unaccompanied minors were among those fleeing from persecution and violence in northern Rakhine state. Many arrived traumatised, in poor physical condition and in need of life-saving support. Cramped and deprived living conditions in the camps present concerns, but despite the hardships, the Rohingya feel safe compared to the situation back home. UNHCR is providing protection, food, clean water, shelter, health care, trauma counselling and reunification for separated families.

Facing the crisis: A Rohingya family living in a refugee camp in Bangladesh Image: ©UNHCR/Andrew McConnell

Filippo Grandi
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, (UNHCR)
Share:
Our Impact
The Big Picture
Explore and monitor how Humanitarian Action is affecting economies, industries and global issues
A hand holding a looking glass by a lake
Crowdsource Innovation
Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale
Stay up to date:

Humanitarian Action

Have you read?
A father holds a young girl to cross the river and the border with Colombia, taking a
Image: ©UNHCR/Vincent Tremeau
Image: UNHCR
Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

Sign up for free

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Related topics:
Humanitarian ActionMigration
Share:
World Economic Forum logo
Global Agenda

The Agenda Weekly

A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda

Subscribe today

You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.

More on Humanitarian Action
See all

IFRC sounds the alarm on Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis following major earthquakes

Spencer Feingold

November 6, 2023

About Us

Events

Media

More from the Forum

Partners & Members

  • Join Us

Language Editions

Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

© 2023 World Economic Forum