Rights for Rohingya Refugees- Camps at Mewat, Haryana

Post Date: Wednesday, May 25, 2016

The Rohingya are among an estimated 10 million stateless people worldwide. India, despite hosting some 30,000 registered refugees, has no legal recognition of asylum seekers, making it difficult for them to use essential services like schools and hospitals. The Rohingya community is among the most vulnerable. According to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), there are around 9,000 Rohingya registered in Delhi. Thousands more, unregistered, are living in other parts of the country.

The fact finding team from HRLN comprising of social activist, interns, Rohingya community leader and petitioner in this case visited Nangli Camp number 1 and 7 in Mewat, Haryana on 20^th September 2015. It was evident that there hasn’t been any improvement in services for this community in the past years and months, and that especially women are still facing great challenges when it comes to pre and post-delivery healthcare.

The team found out that in Delhi, most of the refugees lead impoverished lives in tented settlements dotted around the city, eking out a meager existence doing manual work for Indians, often underpaid and exploited. Along with lack of food and medicine, Rohingya community in general has been suffering from high unemployment rates. Most of the settlers in these camps shared that because they have no identity documents, they cannot send their children to school or use health services at government hospitals. They cannot rent accommodation in better places.

Rohingya could not find any solace in Indian refugee camps where they feel trapped. Their small makeshift houses with plastic tarps and straw roofs are submerged under water after few hours of rainfall. Besides the lack of the clean drinking water, refugees have complained of lack of hygiene and sanitation with no proper sewage system.

The fact findings filed in this case were conducted in regular intervals and reveal that the situation in Mewat, especially for women, has not improved. There are severe issues with regard to access to healthcare and information on available maternal health schemes. The nearest PHC at NUH only provides services for minor ailment only. The civil hospital provides checkups and no other facility. For major health services and maternal health services at Sheed Hasan Khan Mewati Medical college hospital at Nalhad can cost upto 300 only for commuting. Treatment at a private hospital is burden on pocket.

Even though Primary Health Centre, Community Health Centre and hospitals are present in the residing area in Mewat but there is no

ambulance facility available in the vicinity. Most of the pregnant women and lactating mothers are not aware of Government Schemes like Janani Suraksha Yojana, Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram or the National Maternity Benefit Scheme.

The Rohingya community continues to face extreme hardship waiting for some land in any country which we can then call home and live with dignity.