Water crisis and rape (Refugee Camp)

KPN News

Teknaf, Bangladesh: Rohingya undocumented refugees living in Dum Dum Meah (Tal) perpetually face water shortage with the onset of summer in Bangladesh. The refugees meet their need for water from near the camp. Most women refugees fetch water for their house hold work.

In such a situation, some local people who live near the camp and others loading and unloading goods from trucks at land port, take advantage of Rohingya women refugees who fetch water from near the camp in the mountainous area, said a refugee Majee called Hussain.

On the morning of April 17, Mamonah (not real name) (18), mother of one child, went to fetch water from the stream near Teknaf Land port area with Du Du Meah (60), a boy named Kamal (10) and a young girl named Halema (9) at about 8 am, said Mamonah. When the refugees entered the stream, two local truck staff followed them and when they reached the stream, the two asked them not to move threatening them with a wooden tall stick. One of the men suddenly attacked Mamonah and forcibly took her away from the group and entered a bush, said Du Du Meah.

Mamonah screamed for help. The old man was unable to rescue her as he was being threatened. The man raped Mamonah in front of the three refugees. The young boy started running and screaming for help. He ran towards the land port where some refugees were working as daily wage laborers. They rushed to the spot and caught the rapist and handed him over to the guards of the land port, he added.

The land port’s guards are Para military staff called Ansars who tried to mediate by offering 500 Taka for the incident. But, the victim and other refugees demanded punishment and that the rapist be handed over to the concerned authorities. The guards went against the refugees and detained three of them in their guard box for two hours, said a refugee who was arrested. The guards took some bribe from the truck’s staff and released the rapist. The victim and other refugees went to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) near the land port and reported the incident.

The officer-in-charge called the Ansars of the land port. The Ansars said they knew nobody that the refugees were referring to. After that the officer told the refugees to inform the office when they find out the staff of the truck, said Husson Majee from refugee camp. The truck belongs to Bismillah Rice Mill Ltd. and the truck’s staff is Aziz. T

he number of the truck is 11-100-59 (it is a Three Star truck), according to the truck association. “If the RAB pressurize the guards of the land port it will be easy to find the rapist,” said a refugee who works in the land port. In the last week of March, a young refugee girl called Sara (11) (not real name) went along with some other refugees to fetch water from near the Teknaf land port and was attacked by some local youths tried to drag her away from the group with the intention of rape. She screamed for help, so that Refugees who work as daily wage earners in the land port rush to the spot and rescued the young girl, said the father of victim. “If we fetch water from near our camp this will keep happening to us,” said a woman refugee called Banu. ##