Covid-19 And The Rohingya: Hunger, exploitation,covid-19 — after traveling to Florida.

Covid-19 And The Rohingya: Hunger, exploitation, hate crimes and xenophobia

"We are the same human being like you and need the same basic rights which you enjoy. Please don't hate us. We don't want to be a burden. Allow us to study and work, and stand by us. We will surely return home."  This was the ardent appeal of Sharifah Shakirah, who fled to Malaysia from Buthidaung township in Myanmar at the age of six. Sharifah was joined by four other Rohingya youth at an eSymposium on June 9 to share their experiences of the Covid-19 situation in their respective countries of asylum. The Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the lives and livelihoods of people all over the world. It has disproportionately harmed the marginalised—refugees, asylum seekers and the stateless people. The Rohingya survivors of Myanmar's genocide are no exception. Rohingyas living in Burma are being subjected to state sponsored stigmatisation after the outbreak of Covid-19. Although so far one Rohingya and two Rakhines have been infected, the local authorities and the media are engaged in a hate campaign against the Rohingya, claiming "Bengalis", the slur word for Rohingya, have entered Myanmar illegally and have brought coronavirus with them. This has resulted in a sharp increase in hate speech against the Rohingya on Burmese social media.  The conditions of the Rohingyas in the internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in Burma are particularly dire. With a plethora of discriminatory restrictions, famine like conditions prevail in northern Rakhine. In violation of the explicit order of the International Court of Justice to protect the Rohingya, the Burmese government continues to pursue its genocidal policies against them, causing internal displacement of thousands. Many more are forced to flee to Bangladesh and the other countries of south-east Asia.A large number of Rohingyas have to fend for themselves and work as wage labourers in the informal sector. The lockdowns and the overall economic slowdown have robbed them of livelihood opportunities and pushed them into an abyss of malnutrition and hunger. The absence of any social protection mechanism has further exposed them to coronavirus infection and other diseases.  Hundreds of Rohingya are passing a dreadful time in detention camps, many for years. Bereft of any contact with their loved ones, most cannot secure legal support. Scores of cases exist in which Rohingyas who served out their sentences still remain incarcerated, as authorities deny their release since Burma is not willing to take them back.

I’m from Wuhan. I got covid-19 — after traveling to Florida.

Xinyan Yu is a journalist from Wuhan based in Washington. In January, after watching my hometown Wuhan crumble from afar as it grappled with the novel coronavirus, I thought I was better prepared for the pandemic than most people in the United States. Little did I know that this country would struggle so much — or that six months later, I would contract the coronavirus, too. Since news of the coronavirus began to emerge, I’ve been living with extreme vigilance. I wore masks everywhere, despite being coughed at and made fun of. “Thank you, China. God bless America,” a lady shouted at me at a supermarket near Washington in late March. But the mocking didn’t bother me. I’ve seen what it takes for 11 million people in Wuhan to get the coronavirus under control, and I knew eventually everyone would have to come to terms with it.