Seven years after the Rohingya people were forced from their homes in Myanmar, close to 1 million remain stranded in the refugee camps of Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar district – more than half of them women and girls. With scarce means of making a living, many Rohingya refugees are entirely dependent on humanitarian assistance.

Conditions in Cox’s Bazar remain very difficult with basic services stretched to their limits in the network of camps, due to shrinking humanitarian funding. Most refugees live in overcrowded, temporary shelters that offer little privacy. An increase in security incidents in the camps has left women and children more exposed to violence. Poor conditions are exacerbated by climate shocks, such as the devastating Cyclone Mocha in May 2023. 

UNFPA is supporting the Government of Bangladesh to provide reproductive health and gender-based violence services to women and girls in Cox’s Bazar and host communities. This includes deploying midwives and maternal and newborn specialists to health facilities, as well as supporting a network of community workers who raise awareness about available services at health centres, in communities, and at women and girls’ safe spaces. UNFPA is also supporting the Friendship Hospital, which is adjacent to the camps in Balukhali, Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar. It is the only major facility providing comprehensive emergency obstetric care for both Rohingya refugees and host communities.

Updated on 31 July 2024