Rohingya refugee children: Trapped in limbo

Rohingya children in refugees camps in Bangladesh continue to do it tough, according to a new report released by three major aid agencies. While deprivation of basics such as education and adequate nutrition remain an everyday reality for most, human trafficking and sexual assault pose an extra threat for some children. Aid agencies estimate 60 per cent of the residents there are children, including many who have lost their parents. The risk of kidnapping, rape and sex trafficking is too great. The report finds children are terrified of wild elephants, snakes, violent men when they have to collect firewood. Half a million Rohingya refugee children at risk in overcrowded camps in Bangladesh with cyclone and monsoon season on horizon In addition to the increased threat of disease outbreaks, the cyclone season brings an increased risk of flooding and landslides, a direct risk to children's lives. Even a moderate storm could have a devastating impact, with little time to prepare ahead of the start of the cyclone season in march. Children are particularly vulnerable to diphtheria, a bacterial infection that causes dead tissue to build up over the throat and tonsils, making it difficult to breathe.

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