DHAKA: Sexual harassment remains the most pressing concern for Rohingya women and adolescents living in squalid refugee camps in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar, according to a study released Sunday.
Cox’s Bazar is home to around a million largely Muslim Rohingya minority, fleeing a brutal military crackdown in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.
ActionAid – one of the largest non-profits operating in the camps since the influx in 2017 – conducted 66 in-depth interviews, revealing dire challenges faced by women and adolescents.
“Sexual harassment is the biggest concern,” said Tamazer Ahmed, policy, research and advocacy manager at ActionAid.
“Early marriage and polygamy have become normalized, and 93 percent of interviewees remained outside the scope of legal assistance.”
