dailyobserver
Published : Saturday, 4 May, 2024
Md Jahedul Islam; Monir Hossen Sarek
The Rohingya, an ethnic minority group from Myanmars Rakhine State, have endured decades of systematic discrimination, persecution, and violence at the hands of the countrys military. Their plight came to the worlds attention in 2017 when a brutal crackdown by Myanmars security forces forced over 740,000 Rohingya to flee across the border into neighboring Bangladesh, joining hundreds of thousands of others already languishing in squalid refugee camps. While the 2017 exodus was the most significant and most recent, it was not the first time Rohingya refugees sought sanctuary in Bangladesh. The first considerable influx occurred in 1992 after Myanmars military launched another campaign of violence and forced displacement against the Rohingya minority.
At that time, over 250,000 Rohingya crossed into Bangladesh, many settling in makeshift camps along the border region. In the camps, the Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (FDMN), as they were officially termed, lived in precarious conditions, entirely dependent on humanitarian aid for food, shelter, and essential services. Despite these challenges, the Rohingya community demonstrated remarkable resilience, establishing informal education systems, small businesses, and community structures to preserve their cultural identity and support each other through the hardships of camp life. Over time, many adapted to their Bangladeshi hosts local culture and language.
For decades, the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh had little prospect of a permanent solution to their displacement. However, in recent years, the United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) has offered a glimmer of hope for many. The program, which facilitates the resettlement of refugees from around the world in the United States, has opened its doors to thousands of Rohingya families, providing them with the opportunity to start a new life in safety and dignity. The resettlement process through USRAP is lengthy and rigorous. It involves extensive security vetting, medical screenings, and cultural orientation programs to prepare refugees for their new lives in America. Once approved, Rohingya families are flown to various cities across the United States, where they are welcomed and supported by local resettlement agencies and community organizations.
For decades, the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh had little prospect of a permanent solution to their displacement. However, in recent years, the United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) has offered a glimmer of hope for many. The program, which facilitates the resettlement of refugees from around the world in the United States, has opened its doors to thousands of Rohingya families, providing them with the opportunity to start a new life in safety and dignity. The resettlement process through USRAP is lengthy and rigorous. It involves extensive security vetting, medical screenings, and cultural orientation programs to prepare refugees for their new lives in America. Once approved, Rohingya families are flown to various cities across the United States, where they are welcomed and supported by local resettlement agencies and community organizations.
The resettlement of Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh to the United States is actively underway. The U.S. began admitting Rohingya through the Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) in fiscal year 2018. Between 2018-2022, over 25,000 Rohingya were resettled across 18 states, with large numbers arriving in Texas, New York, California and others with established resettlement programs.
In 2022 alone, around 7,000 Rohingya found new homes in American cities. With the Biden administration raising the refugee camp to 125,000 for fiscal 2023, the Rohingya resettlement process is expected to continue at a robust pace facilitated by refugee agencies and local communities. Upon arrival in their new communities, Rohingya refugees face the daunting task of rebuilding their lives from scratch. Local resettlement agencies play a crucial role in this transition, assisting with finding affordable housing, enrolling children in schools, and helping adults secure employment or access vocational training programs. While the challenges of adapting to a new language, culture, and way of life are significant, the prospect of a stable home, access to education, and the ability to earn a livelihood offers hope for a brighter future.
For many Rohingya, resettlement in the United States represents a chance for physical safety and an opportunity to forge a new identity and sense of belonging. After years of being denied citizenship and fundamental rights in Myanmar, they can now aspire to become American citizens, with all the rights and responsibilities that entails. This new-found legal status and the prospect of long-term stability offer a chance for Rohingya families to put down roots and, indeed, plan for a sustainable future.
While the journey to full integration and self-sufficiency may be long and arduous, the resettlement of Rohingya refugees in the United States holds the promise of socio-economic development for this long-persecuted community. With access to education, employment opportunities, and the support of welcoming communities, Rohingya families can begin to heal from past traumas and contribute their skills, resilience, and determination to the fabric of American society.
As the Rohingya community in the United States grows, their story serves as a testament to the power of human perseverance and the importance of providing a safe haven to those fleeing persecution and violence. Through the USRAP program and the compassion of the American people, these resilient refugees have been given a chance to write a new chapter in their lives - one filled with hope, opportunity, and the dignity of a place to call home.
Myanmars government would almost certainly oppose or remain indifferent towards the resettlement of Rohingya refugees in the United States. For decades, Myanmars military has systematically discriminated against the Rohingya ethnic minority, denying them citizenship and fundamental rights while carrying out brutal crackdowns and campaigns of violence that forced over 740,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh in 2017 alone. There is no indication that Myanmar has taken responsibility or shown remorse for persecuting the Rohingya, whom it has denounced as illegal immigrants. Given this background of systemic oppression and forced displacement, Myanmars government is doubtful to welcome or support the permanent resettlement of Rohingya in other nations like the US. Its actions suggest a desire to expel or further marginalize the Rohingya population rather than reintegrate them, making its opposition or indifference to the US resettlement efforts.
The resettlement of Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh to the United States through the USRAP program represents a profound shift in the narrative of this long-persecuted ethnic minority. After enduring decades of systematic discrimination, violence, and denial of fundamental rights by Myanmars military regime, the Rohingya have finally found a pathway to restart their lives with dignity and hope.
Though the challenges of cultural assimilation are immense, the support of resettlement agencies and welcoming communities allows Rohingya families to establish stable homes, access education and employment, and aspire to become full-fledged American citizens. As this resilient community puts down new roots across the United States, its story stands as a powerful testament to the enduring ideals of human perseverance, compassion, and the moral imperative of providing a safe haven to those fleeing persecution and violence. With socio-economic prospects on the horizon, the Rohingya in America can now focus on healing from past traumas while contributing their skills and determination to the multicultural fabric of their adopted homeland.
Md Jahedul Islam is Senior Research Assistant BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health and Monir Hossen Sarek is Interpreter International Rescue Committee
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