Construction of health among the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh : a culture-centred approach : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Massey University, Manawatu, Palmerston North, New Zealand
Loading...
Files
Date
2023-12-21
DOI
Open Access Location
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Massey University
Rights
© The Author
Abstract
Rohingyas, the majority of whom are Muslims (followers of the religion of Islam) are the ethnic minority group of the Rakhine state of Myanmar, where they have lived for centuries. However, Rohingyas lost their citizenship rights through a state sponsored apartheid-like system in 1982 and since then they have been stateless. As a result of organised state-led persecutions and even genocide for decades, Rohingyas are now the largest stateless community of the world. It is estimated that around 3.5 million Rohingyas are now scattered throughout the world. Among them, only an estimated 600,000 Rohingyas are still living in Myanmar. However, the exact figure of Rohingyas in Myanmar is difficult to confirm. The largest group, more than 1.6 million Rohingyas, is in Bangladesh. The majority of the Rohingyas once living in Rakhine state of Myanmar fled to Bangladesh after the latest genocide perpetrated against them by the Myanmar authorities from August 2017 onwards. Most of the Rohingyas who fled from Myanmar are now living in 33 makeshift camps at Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
The Rohingyas have been living in the camps of Bangladesh for years without any citizenship rights or refugee status. In this thesis, the Rohingyas are deliberately designated as refugees as they fulfil all the conditions of refugees by various international laws. According to the 1951 Refugee Convention, "a refugee is defined as a person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country or to return there because there is a fear of persecution" [Article 1(a)(2), 1951 Refugee Convention].
Bangladesh is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 protocol and has avoided labelling the Rohingyas as “refugees.” Instead, Bangladeshi authorities refer to the Rohingyas as “Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals” (FDMN) and do not afford them the right to work or freedom of movement. Rohingyas who fled persecution in Myanmar have reason to fear persecution if they return and so they have been staying in the camps for years. In the Bangladeshi camps, while the local authorities and international agencies barely manage to provide minimum basic needs, the Rohingya people suffer from a lack of provisions for long-term needs, such as adequate healthcare services and education.
The current study explores various health issues concerning the Rohingya people living in 33 camps of Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. To discover their health issues, the localised, lived experiences of Rohingyas have been studied to identify the current health policy approaches and interventions addressing their health needs. This research employs a Culture-Centred ethnographic data collection methodology, with 41 in-depth interviews including some Focused Group Discussions. Purposive and snowballing methods were used to identify and recruit the Rohingya participants. The researcher has applied the Culture-Centred Approach (CCA) to find out the Rohingya refugees’ health needs. The Culture-Centred Approach is a theory of health communication that works through centring culture along with structure and agency and believes the community should have a voice in defining their problems and finding solutions.
This thesis argues that the construction of Rohingya healthcare services at the refugee camps of Bangladesh follow the top-down approach and the services are predetermined by the local authorities and international agencies. The Rohingyas are the passive users of all of their basic needs including the health needs. The voices of Rohingyas are not being heard and there is no attempt to hear them, even when critical decisions regarding their health and life are being made. From that point of view this thesis examines the lived experiences of Rohingyas living in the refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh through dialogical exchanges between the researcher and the Rohingya refugees. The findings suggest a theory of “looking from below” through the lens of culture, structure and agency that enables a better understanding of Rohingya health issues in the ground-level micro-practices.
The study demonstrates that, given proper opportunities to take part in the decision-making processes, the Rohingyas can improve their health utilising the existing health care facilities of the camps. This thesis also advocates the Rohingya refugees’ participation in any community engagement process so as to enable a better life for them in the refugee camps with the limited infrastructures and minimum opportunities. This study also argues for greater Rohingya involvement in medical care to provide facilities that may address the localised, culture-based health needs of the refugee community.
Description
Keywords
communication, health communication, Rohingya refugees, Rohingya (Burmese people), Refugees, Medical care, Bangladesh, Decision making, Refugee camps, Cox's Bāzār (Bangladesh)