Shafiur Rahman

Bangladesh, United Kingdom

Documentary Maker and Journalist at Freelance

Journalist & Doc maker. RTs ≠ endorsement. Vice-Chair, NUJ, Cambridge, UK. Columnist: @DVB_English & @DhakaTribune Newsletter: @RoRefugeeNews

Articles

UNHCR Defends Biometric Enrollment Push for Rohingya Refugees

2 weeks ago | buff.ly | Shafiur Rahman

Despite UNHCR’s insistence that biometric enrollment is necessary to uphold program integrity, critics say the policy effectively punishes people for trying to protect their identity and data. Subscribe for ads-free reading Around 300 to 400 Rohingya refugee families in Bangladesh’s Nayapara and Kutupalong registered camps have been cut off from food aid and other essential services after refusing to participate in a biometric data collection drive.
UNHCR Defends Biometric Enrollment Push for Rohingya Refugees

2 weeks ago | thediplomat.com | Shafiur Rahman

Despite UNHCR’s insistence that biometric enrollment is necessary to uphold program integrity, critics say the policy effectively punishes people for trying to protect their identity and data. Subscribe for ads-free reading Around 300 to 400 Rohingya refugee families in Bangladesh’s Nayapara and Kutupalong registered camps have been cut off from food aid and other essential services after refusing to participate in a biometric data collection drive.
No Fingerprint, No Food: How the UN Is Failing the Rohingya

3 weeks ago | buff.ly | Shafiur Rahman

Some 400 families in refugee camps in Bangladesh have been barred from receiving aid after refusing to provide biometric data for registration. Subscribe for ads-free reading “They said it was optional, then they took away our food.”Afzol Mia, a Rohingya refugee in Bangladesh’s Nayapara camp since 1991, does not exaggerate.
No Fingerprint, No Food: How the UN Is Failing the Rohingya

3 weeks ago | thediplomat.com | Shafiur Rahman

Some 400 families in refugee camps in Bangladesh have been barred from receiving aid after refusing to provide biometric data for registration. Subscribe for ads-free reading “They said it was optional, then they took away our food.”Afzol Mia, a Rohingya refugee in Bangladesh’s Nayapara camp since 1991, does not exaggerate.
8 Dead. Why the Island Refugee Project Must End Now

3 weeks ago | rohingyarefugee.news | Shafiur Rahman

A small launch ferrying sick Rohingya to the mainland capsized. At least eight people are feared dead. Bhasan Char’s remote location, flimsy boats and chronic shortage of medical evacuation options turned an ordinary medical transfer into a fatal gamble. It is stupid to call this an accident - it’s the inevitable outcome of an experiment that warehouses thousands of refugees on a silt island with razor-thin services and virtually no freedom of movement.
Shut Down Bhasan Char Now

3 weeks ago | counterpointbd.com | Shafiur Rahman

Bhasan Char is a symbol of the corruption and cronyism of the last regime, a so-called humanitarian scheme that served only to line the pockets of the powerful. The Interim Government can do the right thing by making a clean break from Sheikh Hasina's most disastrous Rohingya policy. On May 31, a trawler carrying 39 people from Bhasan Char capsised en route to the mainland. As of writing, three have been confirmed dead, several are receiving medical treatment, and others remain missing.
UNHCR’s Biometric Standoff with the Rohingya

4 weeks ago | rohingyarefugee.news | Shafiur Rahman

In a UN podcast published last year, Juliette Murekeyisoni, the new interim head of UNHCR-Bangladesh, shares her experience of fleeing Burundi on the back of a lorry and discusses her commitment to displaced people. In response to a question about what she might say to those responsible for refugee suffering, she suggests she would ask something along the lines of: If those were your own children, would you leave them in a camp with no food?
Asma Bibi's harrowing journey: A tale of survival, trafficking, and courage

1 month ago | counterpointbd.com | Shafiur Rahman

While much of the trafficking narrative involving Rohingya women focuses on destinations like Malaysia, Asma's story is a reminder that trafficking can take many forms and lead to various destinations The plight of Rohingya refugees has been marked by displacement, violence, and profound suffering. Among their many challenges, human trafficking has become a devastating consequence of their vulnerability.
Ataullah’s arrest won’t fix the Rohingya crisis

1 month ago | counterpointbd.com | Shafiur Rahman

It is merely another performance in a long-running tragedy of control, optics, and missed opportunities for real change On March 17, Bangladeshi security forces arrested Ataullah Abu Ammar Jununi, the leader of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA). For some, the news came as a long-overdue blow to an armed group accused of killings, extortion, and turning parts of the refugee camps into no-go zones.
Dil Mohammed, the Rohingya Camps, and Dhaka's Diplomacy

1 month ago | rohingyarefugee.news | Shafiur Rahman

First up: the camp’s resident bogeyman, Dil Mohammed. Not the No Man’s Land elder now rotting in a Bangladeshi jail in Bandarban, but the other Dil Mohammed - the junta’s favourite fixer who operates from a brand new office in Camp 1 under the discreet protection of Bangladeshi intelligence. He’s suddenly feeling the heat: WhatsApp and Facebook posts are shredding his reputation, so he has released a “Q&A” video to restore his reputation among the doubters. I’ll pull that apart, line by line.