In your experience, what does an average day living in a Rohingya camp look like for someone living there?
Monira: The situation has changed. Back when the situation was declared a category 1 crisis worldwide, huge activities were happening here in Cox’s Bazar to accelerate all services, including health, nutrition and water, sanitation, and hygiene. That was a very traumatizing time for the Rohingya people. Their focus was to settle down in the camps and be introduced to Bangladeshi culture, the surrounding community, and the new camp environment. As time has gone on, the camps have developed and now all services and organizations are working under a common umbrella. So now, living in the camp is much more organized. People know where to get food, shelter, education, and health services, including FP. They are living in a more stabilized situation and are more accustomed [to] Bengali culture, and those working in the camps are now focused on mental health and disability inclusion in all services.
What is the average experience for accessing SRHR services for someone living in a Rohingya camp?
Monira: When they arrived [at] the camp in 2017, they were not very familiar with the full range of FP. The only methods they were familiar with [were] the oral contraceptive pill and the Depo. They were not aware of other modern methods and where they could access them and the importance of FP, so it was very challenging for all the organizations. Now, due to different organizations’ activities, it’s gradually improving.
Farhana: When the Rohingya influx began and they arrived in Bangladesh, many of them had a history of sexual violence, and they were pregnant unintentionally and struggling to find shelter. Many were not aware of and were not using an FP method as they came from very conservative backgrounds.
Monira: Inside the camps, short-acting methods and long-acting reversible contraceptive methods (LARCs), primarily the implant, are available. IUDs are not available due to a lack of skilled service providers at the health post, but there has been a change regarding behavior towards FP. It’s surprising [given their conservative background] that female acceptors have been interested from the beginning in LARCs once they came to know that these are also methods. They were very curious. However, taboos regarding religious beliefs and cultural practices are also there, so many organizations are working to overcome those challenges inside the camps.