Statement from UNICEF Representative on the drowning of Rohingya refugee women and children in the Bay of Bengal
2017-09-28
© UNICEF/UN0120419/Brown
On 7 September 2017, newly arrived Rohingya refugees walk ashore at Shamlapur beach in Cox's Bazar district, Chittagong Division in Bangladesh, after traveling for 5 hours in a boat across the open waters of the Bay of Bengal.
Statement attributable to UNICEF Bangladesh Representative Edouard Beigbeder.
COX’S BAZAR, BANGLADESH/HONG KONG, 28 September 2017 - “The tragic accident that this evening cost the lives of at least 14 people – including several children – in the waters of the Bay of Bengal is a grim reminder of the extraordinary risks that desperate Rohingya are taking in order to escape the violence engulfing their homeland.
"Dozens of others are believed to have perished making similar journeys since the latest crisis in Rakhine state erupted in late August. All told, over a quarter of a million children from Myanmar have now taken refuge in southern Bangladesh in recent weeks.
"UNICEF calls for international support to the efforts being led by the Government of Bangladesh to deliver urgent humanitarian aid and ensure the protection of children’s rights."