In Bangladesh, some 60 babies are born
a day in Rohingya camps: UN
Reuters
Published: 2018-05-17
Around 60 babies a day are being born in vast
refugee camps in Bangladesh, sheltering
hundreds of thousands of mainly Rohingya
Muslims who have fled Myanmar, the United
Nations children's agency UNICEF said on
Wednesday.
Nearly 700,000 Rohingya fled to Cox's Bazar
in Bangladesh in the past nine months after a
Myanmar military crackdown that the United
Nations, United States and Britain have
denounced as ethnic cleansing. Myanmar has
denied that any ethnic cleansing occurred.
UNICEF said in a statement that since the
crisis began more than 16,000 babies had
been born in the camps, of which only about
3,000 were delivered in health facilities.
"Around 60 babies a day are taking their first
breath in appalling conditions, away from
home, to mothers who have survived
displacement, violence, trauma and, at times,
rape," said Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF's
Representative in Bangladesh.
UN Security Council envoys visited the refugee
camps in April.
"It is impossible to know the true number of
babies who have been or will be born as a
result of sexual violence," Beigbeder said. "It
is vital that each and every new and
expectant mother and every new-born receive
all the help and support they need."
Rohingya insurgent attacks on security posts
in Myanmar's Rakhine state last August
sparked a military operation that Myanmar has
said was legitimate. Last November,
Myanmar's military released a report in which
it denied all accusations of rape by security
forces.
A senior Bangladesh health ministry official,
who declined to be named due to sensitivity
of the matter, said last week that so far
18,300 pregnant women had been identified in
the camps and the rough total estimate was
around 25,000.
★ By : bdnews24