Almost 1 million refugees live in Cox’s Bazar – and many of them are women and girls at risk of gender-based violence. But, with the support of ActionAid, training in vocational skills, community participation and leadership is helping them advocate for the needs of their community.

When Anwara fled her home in Myanmar six years ago, the youngest of her three daughters was still only a babe in arms. They were part of a group of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees who crossed the border looking for safety. After walking for several days, they arrived in Cox’s Bazar in south-east Bangladesh, a makeshift settlement that is now home to nearly 1 million Rohingya refugees. Life in the camps is hard, Anwara says. But at least it is providing some security for her family. “When we came from Myanmar, we suffered a lot. We didn’t have any money, shelter or food. Now we have a house to live in and receive food rations every month.”

Rohingya refugees are in a precarious situation as they have not been formally granted refugee status, so they’re unable to work and integrate with the community outside the camps. Prospects for their return to Myanmar have continued to decrease as levels of violence have risen across the country.

In Bangladesh, the south-east is prone to climate disasters such as flooding, cyclones and landslides. Shortfalls in aid funding mean there is increasingly not enough access to safe drinking water, food, or hygiene and health services, with infectious diseases and illnesses spreading easily among the camps’ residents due to overcrowding. Incidents within the densely populated area, such as violence and arson, are common. In March 2023, a fire that broke out in the camps left 15,000 refugees homeless

Fatema, an ActionAid worker, at Cox’s Bazar. Preventing violence against women and girls is a significant part of ActionAid’s work in the camp. Photograph: Fabeha Monir/ActionAid

Women and girls – who make up 51% of the refugees living in Cox’s Bazar – are particularly vulnerable. Many women, like Anwara, fled from their homes in Myanmar alone with their children. They face the risk of gender-based violence and forced marriage, as well as restrictive socio-cultural norms that limit their powers to influence the running of their communities.

That’s starting to change, with the support of ActionAid. Since 2017, ActionAid Bangladesh’s work has reached more than 945,000 Rohingya refugees and about 8,750 local community members in the country; preventing and responding to violence against women and girls is a significant part of that work. Projects such as the Camp Coordination and Camp Management initiative, delivered in partnership with the UNHCR, have established a women-led refugee committee to improve camp management and disaster preparedness. So far, 400 paid community volunteers have been trained in fire safety, first aid, cyclone preparedness, flood response and water safety. They’re teaching other women their newfound skills too.

Anwara is one of the site managers employed by ActionAid to help run the camp. “People at the camp have acknowledged our humanitarian work and they like it,” she says. “Many women in the camp don’t have a husband, son or any male members in the family. When they learn anything from me, they are so glad to have the knowledge I share.”

Her salary is helping support her daughters – aged 11, nine and seven – who are now attending school. “As long as I live I want my daughters to be educated. This is my dream,” she says.

Rama, an ActionAid site management volunteer: ‘I like that I am doing something good for my community and people.’ Photograph: Fabeha Monir/ActionAid

Giving women and girls training in vocational skills, community participation and leadership is also helping them advocate for the needs of their people. The committee has implemented a community feedback and response mechanism (CFRM) – a channel so that everyone can raise grievances and have a voice in camp decision making.

As part of this, ActionAid has created women-friendly spaces where mothers can breastfeed in private, where women can benefit from counselling or other emotional support, where health kits (with menstrual products, soap, and clean underwear) are distributed as well as solar powered lights, which help to keep women and girls safer at night when they need to use the bathroom.

One of the women working with the CFRM team is Rama, who says: “I’ve learned many things and developed a lot.” She adds that it feels good to be doing something useful by advocating for women who at one time may have felt as though they couldn’t speak up in front of men. “People from the community come with different challenges and we escalate things when needed,” she says.

Rama has undergone training in fire safety, water safety, first aid and disaster preparedness, and is running workshops to pass that knowledge on to other women. She and Anwara do not know what the future holds. But with ActionAid’s help, they’re able to earn money to support their families, empower women and girls within the camps, and boost the community’s resilience against natural disasters.

“When I think about the future and the future of my children, I don’t always feel peaceful,” says Rama. “But I like that I am working as a volunteer and doing something good for my community and people. Our community came here after experiencing trauma in Myanmar. Whenever I can do something for their good, I feel happy.”

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