JAKARTA, 20 October 2024 – Save the Children is calling for Indonesia and other countries in Asia to provide protection and humanitarian assistance to Rohingya refugees after a boat carrying more than 100 Rohingya, including women and children, was sighted off the coast of Indonesia.

The wooden fishing boat is carrying more than 100 Rohingya refugees according to local authorities and fishermen and is anchored around 5 kilometers off the coast of South Aceh[1]. This is the first boat carrying Rohingya refugees to arrive in Indonesia since March 2024.

It was not immediately clear where the boat has come from. Earlier in the week local fishermen and authorities said they had discovered in the sea the body of a woman thought to be a Rohingya woman, but it was not immediately clear if the woman was a passenger on the boat.

From November 2023 to date, at least 15 boats carrying more than 2,000 Rohingya refugees (73% of whom are women and children) landed in Aceh and North Sumatera, Indonesia, a staggering 298% increase from the 574 people who arrived in 2022.[2]

While many have since departed Indonesia, around 1,000 remain in informal and temporary accommodation in Aceh, North Sumatra, and Riau Provinces.[3]

Fadli Usman, Humanitarian Director at Save the Children in Indonesia, said:

“Nobody should have to put their lives at risk to make perilous journeys by sea in search of a better life, but this is sadly the reality for Rohingya refugees who have undertaken dangerous sea journeys, often in boats that are not sea worthy, to seek protection, to access livelihoods and education, and to reunite with families”.

“Indonesia has displayed strong solidarity and humanity in the past by allowing Rohingya refugees to disembark and should continue to do so. We’re also calling on governments in Asia, including Indonesia, to honor their international commitments and provide humanitarian assistance to Rohingya refugees, including children. Around 40 % of Rohingya arrivals in Indonesia so far this year have been children. Among other horrors, these children are at risk of physical abuse, malnutrition, gender-based violence and exploitation. No child should have to go through the ordeals that Rohingya children do during these journeys. We must ensure that the Rohingya are not forgotten.”

Save the Children is also calling on the international community to take on their share of responsibility, by stepping up financial support for Rohingya refugees arriving on boats to Indonesia and other countries in the region.

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