No Safe Haven: The plight of Rohingya children across Asia

Wherever they are and wherever they go, Rohingya children in south and southeast Asia face discrimination, exclusion, and denial of their most basic rights. For most of these children, these challenges begin in Myanmar, where the Rohingya community has suffered decades of state-sponsored persecution and violence. However, even after Rohingya families have left Myanmar – often in search of safety or a better life for themselves and their families – Rohingya continue to experience unequal treatment and denial of their rights, which over time has exposed them, their children, and their children’s children to ever-widening cycles of deprivation and marginalisation.

This report examines the situation of Rohingya children in five countries in southeast and south Asia: Myanmar, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia. As places of origin, transit, and/or destination, these countries are home – either permanently or temporarily – to hundreds of thousands of Rohingya children. All countries are required under international law to respect, protect, and fulfill these children’s human rights. Yet too often Rohingya children live without access to quality education, healthcare, or an ability to improve their own or their families’ lives – threatening a lost generation.