Over these people are facing many human rights

Over 600, 000 people currently are fleeing persecution and taking a dangerous journey to the surrounding countries in hopes of better treatment, and an escape from violence.

No, this is not regarding the European Migrant Crisis, but another lesser spoken topic, the Rohingya people. These people are facing many human rights violations and their situation has been labeled an ethnic cleansing which many are unaware of. This is Shinoa Greenfield for 108. 5 KHSW, explaining the current disaster that the Rohingya population in Myanmar are facing today.

I will discuss the problems they are facing and the history behind this crisis, the solution to this, and visualizing the world without this problem. Residing in the Rakhine state which is located in the west of Myanmar are around 1. 1 million stateless Rohingya people. This population mainly practices Islam, and their ancestral history traces back to Bangladesh. However, a majority of them have been fleeing to surrounding areas such as Thailand, Bangladesh, and Malaysia. Primarily, due to the ongoing violence and the poor living conditions, they are suffering through in the Rakhine state.

Aljazeera stated “ The government blamed what it called fighters from an armed Rohingya group. The killings led to a security crackdown on villages where Rohingya lived. During the crackdown, government troops were accused of an array of human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killing, rape, and arson – allegations the government denied.”. After 1962, the Rohingyas were allowed only foreign identity cards which may have increased their on-going poor treatment. As these identity cards limited not only the occupations they could have but also the educational opportunities given to them.

Even though the Rohingyas have lived there since the 12th century they are still not listed as 1 of 135 official ethnicities in Myanmar. They have faced blatant discrimination not only from the government but also from the surrounding countries who don’t want to assist these people. Myanmar is predominantly Buddhist which increased the tension with the Islamic Rohingya people. The Myanmar government has done close to nothing to help these people and the violence against them. They have received no aid and low health assistance from the state. Many are documented with terrible illnesses and a majority of them have been diagnosed with tuberculosis.

This population has faced a shortage of food, healthcare, widespread violence and discrimination, and their villages are being burned down by the Burmese government. With all of this unequal treatment many are illegally migrating to surrounding areas, however, several have died due to the journey it takes to reach other countries. Similar to that of the European Migrant Crisis the Rohingya populace travels with extreme risk of danger and death. The boats they take are often over capacity and they frequently don’t have access to clean water while onboard. Making it so they have to resort to drinking the salt water or die of dehydration.

Bangladesh has recently been overwhelmed with the influx of Rohingya people and is giving them aid for the time being. However, Bangladesh also wanted to relocate them to an island which was easily susceptible to flooding and deemed uninhabitable for humans by the United Nations. There is also another issue which is that the Rohingyas are stateless since Myanmar denies them citizenship because they believe they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Yet, Bangladesh sees them as illegal immigrants from Myanmar, therefore, they have been turned away from both counties.  Aljazeera stated that “ The Rohingya are often described as ‘ the world’s most persecuted minority’.” The Rohingyas need a better option besides having to choose between staying in their homeland and facing persecution and fleeing on a life-threatening journey.

To help these people no longer be stateless we need to act, and call upon our government. With proper help, we can contact our United States government and ask for their assistance in this epidemic that the people in the Rakhine state are facing. When we bring this occurrence to our government they will discuss this situation with the United Nations to bring a stop to this inhumane treatment of the Rohingyas. If the United States government assists with the Rohingya population it will benefit their foreign relations. By assisting this persecuted population the United States will gain credibility and a good image which benefits them in the long run. With the help of the United States and the United Nations, the Rohingya people will no longer face unethical human rights abuses. Thus they won’t feel the urge to take dangerous journeys to other countries and won’t be denied citizenship.

With this assistance, they will receive aid and not have to struggle with the prospect of no to low healthcare. Education and occupational opportunities will increase for this population when given proper citizenship, and they will not become one of the most persecuted populations. We have talked through the large issue of the stateless Rohingya people and the vast amounts of discrimination that occurs to them. The journey they must take in order to escape persecution from their homeland, and the ongoing violence against them. We discussed the solution to this issue by contacting our government in hopes of effecting change and increasing our foreign relations, and finally, we visualized of what will happen when change is enacted for the better. This was Shinoa Greenfield for 108.

5 KHSW saying thanks for tuning in to the epidemic involving the Rohingya population.