(Hafsa’s Story from Partners Relief & Development)
the Rohingya had inhabited the Rakhine State (formerly known as Arakan) region since the 9th century, but following the Burma Citizenship Law of 1982 under the military regime, they have since been DENIED FULL CITIZENSHIP RIGHTS because Burmese law does not recognise Rohingya as one of myanmar’s national races. they are considered an ethnic minority.
between AD 800 and 1982, there were of course complex historical developments concerning the rohingya people, which provide depth into their current plight. i encourage you to read up on it here (a timeline of events) and here (human rights watch org’s report).
being denied citizenship and considered “resident foreigners” on their homeland is being denied basic rights to live with dignity. these people are restricted in their mobility- they can’t travel freely to find jobs, denied access to education and healthcare, forcefully segregated from the rest of the country, subject to abuse and exploitation by authorities which force them into labour. they are stripped of decency and are at the mercy of governing bodies.
they ARE being persecuted. they ARE facing genocide. in fact, between 22 october to 10 november 2016, as many as 430 villages were torched. the state military admitted to firing at them with gunships. satellite photos showed that the “scale of destruction was greater than expected”. (bbc article)
furthermore, independent media outlets and those affiliated with minority groups are greatly policed by state- and military-run outlets, especially when investigative journalist work is involved. brutal press censorship reduces the visibility of the rohingya even more, this extends to other ethnic minority groups as well.
the plight of the rohingya has only worsened through the decades. i see gross emergency in this situation and am ashamed of being ignorant about this crisis for so long. i am currently donating monthly to Partners Relief & Development. they’re also on tumblr! (@partnersrelief) please check out their website, it is comprehensive and very informative. all financial reports are available. they’re even publishing free zines, all available online, bi-annually, centered on the progress of their efforts, progress and life in the rohingya communities they’re working for.
i attempted to ascertain their transparency before i’d commit to any donations, and found out from charitynavigator that 100% of their expenses go to funding their programmes. i know lack of transparency of charity organisations is one key concern many of us have which deters further involvement with their relief efforts, so i wanted to just put a disclaimer.
#savetherohingya. praying is not enough.