Limited Living Space and its Impact on Childhood in the Refugee Camps: Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh

Limited Living Space and its Impact on Childhood in the Refugee Camps: Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh

                                    

Limited Living Space and Its Impact on Childhood in the Refugee Camps: Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh

The Case of Rohingya Refugees: A Modern Exodus

The present exodus of the Rohingya minority Muslim community from the Arakan region, Myanmar has a historic context dated back to 1978 since the establishment of the military government in Myanmar (Burma) in 1962. The citizenship rights of 1.1 million Rohingyas were revoked in 1982 despite their presence in Myanmar since the 12th century. The estimated influx of migrants has been figured 864,281 into Bangladesh alone from August 2017 to early November 2020 involving 400,000 children under the age of 12. The highest majority of fate-stricken migrants have been living in Kutupalong camp in the vicinity of Cox's Bazar Bangladesh. The 13km area camp is inhabited by 18.7% of male and female children who are under the age of 4 and 20% of children who are 5-11 years old. The overcrowded camp has inhuman living conditions further contributing to hygiene, sanitation, and illness concerns. The psychological impact of living in congested and limited space has harmed the growth of children who sometimes witness the intimate relationship between their parents while living in the same room.

Emotional Development in Childhood

The process of emotional development is an integral part of human life which is largely influenced by social behaviors, cultural trends, and the environment a person lives in. Children are the most vulnerable members of society who largely accept the impact of their social surroundings and thus develop certain psychological traits that shape their emotions and become the reasons for moods’ swing (Cherry, 2019; World Health Organization, 2018). Early childhood development largely depends on the favorable social structure of a society which is a far cry for refugee children. Rohingya refugee children have been facing two different types of psychological risks; one can be categorized as the psychological impact of displacement while the second is living in an unfavorable hostile environment. The geographical displacement results in post-traumatic stress among children which emerges in the form of parental-divorce, identity problems, bullying, and gender inequality (World Health Organization, 2018). The emotional development between genders in refugee camps according to Chaplin (2015) requires an in-depth study to understand the contextual perspective of psychological stress that children experience in the early stages of their age. This research categorically focuses on the psychological traumatic atmosphere resulting in gender issues and early acquaintance of children to an intimate relationship between parents while living in limited space contributing to early maturity among children.
Limited Living Space and its Impact on Childhood in Refugee Camps

The word camp has become a nightmare for people who are affected by wars, ethnic violence, and natural disasters. The word camp according to Harrell-Bond (2000) refers to an unstable life with inflicted misery of circumstances creating psychological pressure for adults and children. The word ‘camp life’ among children refers to ‘violence and death’, a world without basic human needs and ‘sub-nutritional diet’ for children specifically (p. 6). A camp is a place of abode with limited area to survive where children and adults live under one roof. The children of these ‘fractured families’ as per UNHCR (2013a) definition live in a distressed environment full of isolation and tension with heavy concerns for safety in an unamiable land, creating sadness among children and making them mature early to their actual age (p. 14). Rohingya refugee children first suffered in Myanmar now living in miserable conditions in small tents in Cox Bazar area which is one of the world’s largest refugee camps with a refugee population of 864,281. The total number of children from 0-12 years of age living in this camp has been counted for 38.7% of the total refugee population (UNHCR, 2020b; Aljazeera, 2018).

Gender-based Violence and its Psychological Impression on Children

                      

Gender-based Violence and its Psychological Impact on Children

Young children have witnessed gender-based violence in refugee camps. Nordby (2018) denotes gender-based valance in Cox Bazar has highlighted various issues concerning exploitation of young female children which indicate disempowerment of female gender in all societies. Violence against young girls in refugee camps is a widely acknowledged fact. Children in Cox Bazar camp have no future which further increases their psychological stress. Rohingyas’ future in Bangladesh as Karim (2019) denotes is bleak and highly populated camps are like ‘zoos’ without education opportunities or hope for a better future. According to McPherson and Paul (2019), the alienation of children in Cox Bazar Camp is because of the unavailability of basic human needs and the primary concern is living in limited space and the absence of education opportunities. Bangladeshi hosts are not inclined to allow Rohingya children to get education alongside Bangladeshi children. This further alienates Rohingya children to compromise the basic happiness of their lives. The scale of gender-based violence is at an alarming level as Pittaway (2008) denote ‘I have never seen so many sexualized children’. This situation has become worse in recent years as Nordby (2018) identified abduction cases of 8-9-year-old girls by Bangladeshi villages forcing parents to marry these girls with villagers. These young female children have been “trafficked into the sex market in nearby Cox Bazar and Chittagong" (p. 19). Children have been experiencing such incidents in these camps at the age of puberty which is contributing to an emotional surge among teenagers who experience sexual interaction resulting in a high rate of pregnancy among female children. The research carried by Riley et al. (2017) indicates a significant number of women were raped not only in Myanmar but inside these refugee camps in front of the children and family members. This results in psychological frustration among children as well.

Gender Development in the age of Puberty and the Issue of Limited Space

The living environment has a strong influence on the psychological and physical development of children. Hernandez and Blazer (2006) believe in the existence of 'genetic and environmental interaction'. These factors shape up children’s personalities. The perceptive attitude of children as Malik and Marwaha (2020) note during puberty is very high because sexual attraction does not leave any space for children to distinguish between right and wrong. Socio-emotional development has a direct influence and link with the biological development of children. To understand children's attitudes it is essential to consider how they speak and behave. Analysis of children's temperament would help to apply a particular model that can be used as a reference to understand how limited space such as in Rohingya refugee camps influence children’s adolescent concepts of sex and gender. Chess and Thomas (1977) believe children with flexible and active behavior are attracted to sexual intimation towards opposite gender comparing with children who have slow and cautious behavior. Peers’ influence on children as Malik and Marwaha (2020) believe is considered greater comparing with parents’ advice and at the age of puberty children prefer to communicate and share their ideas with their peers. Walker et al. (2008) denote the sexual attraction among teen children is largely influenced by the environment they live in and this often happens among children before the actual puberty starts. The forced marriages of Rohingya female children are one of the biggest reasons for limited space in these camps where parents tend to marry the girl with Bangladeshi villagers thinking it might bring a better future for their girls. However, in many cases, these female brides are sent back to the camps after they become pregnant. The early marriages might attract other female peers who can develop falls love emotions to quench their desire. This might result in further distress and early child-rearing responsibilities (Pittaway 2008; Nordby, 2018; Karim, 2020). The physical and psychological changes during the adolescence period have different patterns which theorists evaluate using different social and cultural backgrounds. Children start recognizing the opposite sex from an early age and this process intensifies when they interact with their peers increases. Similarly, friendship based on liking and disliking helps children to learn and develop their understanding of the opposite gender (Martin & Ruble, 2010). The process of puberty as highlighted by UNICEF (2004) brings early emotional changes. These emotions contribute to risk-taking behavior as children's anxiety level increases. These children are easy victims of sexual exploitation. Adolescents who are10-14 years old can easily trap in sex activities resulting in ‘HIV, and unwanted pregnancies’ (p. 13). Some children adopt the wrong method to express their emotions. Chaplin (2015) denotes female gender expresses positive emotions fast while suppressing their negative emotions. Adolescents' sex experiences in Rohingya refugee camps can be categorized into two groups. The first is based on adolescents who observe this type of activity while living under a single roof in a single room. The second group is based on individuals who because of their material needs do not understand the real meaning of happiness and involve in such an intimate relationship to earn money. BBC (2018) report on ‘Rohingya children trafficked for sex’ highlights this issue significantly. One of the adolescents named Masuda 14 years old told the investigators

“I knew what was going to happen to me. The woman who offered me a job, everyone knows she makes people have sex. My family has disappeared. I have no Money’ (BBC, 2018).
The Impact of Overcrowding on Children Psychology

Congestion, overcrowded, and densely inhabited places according to Solari and Mare (2013) generate a negative impact on children's psychology which affects children's wellbeing and psychological growth. The need to maintain privacy is a luxury for refugees and living in crowded conditions often generates psychological stress which children exhibit by their actions. The home environment largely shapes the psychological behavior of children and a depressing environment brings no positivity. Rohingya refugee camps are densely populated with little room for any relaxation; this situation is contributing to negative emotions leading children to get involved in negative activities. Clair (2019) believes that housing as an objective wellbeing factor contributes to the psychological and physical development of children which can be categorized as a basic need for children. A soothing housing environment is essential for the cognitive satisfaction of children. Sandel and Wright (2006) denote that the housing issue is one of the primary reasons that cause stress among children. This stress often spread among peers which generate a negative environment leading children to violence and crime. Save the Children (2018) report indicates that Rohingya refugee children yearn for playing facilities, wish for safety, better income for their family, education, health facilities, and better food. The following words of a 7 years old refugee child are heartbreaking which indicates the thrust for love and humane life facilities.

“We have to stand in a queue for a long time to get treatment and this makes me and my mother sad” (Save the Children, 2018, p. 20).

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