HRW urges Bangladesh to relocate Rohingya refugee camps
Bangkok, Aug 6: Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Monday urged the Bangladesh government to relocate the makeshift camps where more than 7,00,000 Rohingya refugees have been living in overcrowded conditions for over an year.
Members of the ethnic minority fled across the border following an offensive launched by the Myanmar Army on August 25 last year in Rakhine state after Rohingya rebels carried out a series of attacks on government security outposts.
The situation of "severe overcrowding" heightens the risk of "diseases, fires and increased community tensions, as well as domestic and sexual violence," warned HRW refugee rights director Bill Frelick at the launch of the report "Bangladesh is not my Country: The plight of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar" in Bangkok, Efe news reported.
With the onset of the monsoon rains, the threat of floods and landslides in the refugee shelters of Kutupalong-Balukhali near the Myanmar border has increased.
According to Frelick, experts have identified six viable relocation sites that could accommodate 2,63,000 people.
These sites, spread across more than 5.26 square kilometres, are located near where the Rohingyas are currently based, he said.
Frelick said Bangladesh insists the situation is temporary, so it prevents the construction of permanent structures.
Bangladesh plans to relocate 1,00,000 Rohingyas to an uninhabited island, Bhasan Char.
The artificial island is not suitable for accommodating people due to the risk of it being completely flooded by the arrival of a cyclone, among other problems such as the lack of land for cultivation or aquifers, experts have said.
Last week, Myanmar set up a new commission to investigate reports of human rights violations allegedly committed by the military against the Rohingyas.
At the report launch, Phil Robertson, deputy director of HRW's Asia division, charged that not much can be expected from the commission as some of its members have publicly rejected any violation by the Army.
International organisations including the United Nations have reported killings, torture, rapes and looting and burning of houses among other crimes allegedly committed by the Army.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein has described the campaign as ethnic cleansing with suspected acts of genocide.
Myanmar considers the Rohingyas illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and subjects them to various restrictions, including limiting their freedom of movement.
Myanmar and Bangladesh signed an agreement in November 2017 for the repatriation of the Rohingyas, according to which the refugees should have started their return to Myanmar on January 23.
Frelick said that the repatriation will not take place anytime soon.
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NCW chief condemns rape-murder of 4-year-old girl in Pune, calls for swift action
New Delhi (PTI): National Commission for Women (NCW) Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar has condemned the alleged rape and murder of a four-year-old girl in Maharashtra's Pune, calling it "deeply distressing" and a "blot on humanity".
The girl was allegedly raped and killed by a 65-year-old labourer, who has a criminal record, in Bhor tehsil of Pune on Friday. The accused allegedly lured the child to a cattle enclosure on the pretext of giving her food. After raping her, he killed her by hitting her with a stone, according to police.
The accused has been arrested.
In a post on X on Saturday, Rahatkar said the incident in the Nasrapur area in Pune was heartbreaking and has shaken society.
"The brutal torture and murder of a four-year-old innocent girl in Nasrapur (Bhor, Pune) is deeply painful, heartbreaking, and shocking. It is a blot on humanity," she said.
She said Pune Rural police has arrested the accused and noted that Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar have assured strict action in the case.
Rahatkar said the NCW has taken cognisance of the matter and written to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), requesting the body to ensure necessary and prompt action.
It has also been recommended that the case be pursued under stringent provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and be closely monitored from the filing of the chargesheet to proceedings in a fast-track special court to ensure time-bound justice, she added.
Ensuring justice for the victim and stringent punishment for the accused is a collective responsibility, the NCW chairperson underlined.
In a post on X, the NCW said it has taken suo motu cognisance of the extremely "heinous" incident.
"This heinous crime causes profound pain and outrage, and it highlights serious concerns regarding the safety of young girls," it said.
Strongly condemning this grave "inhuman act", the NCW said such crimes constitute a serious violation of children's rights and raise questions about society's security system.
