Case 13 “On Civilian Harm”: Ethnic cleansing

In August and September 2017, Myanmar’s national army conducted so-called clearance operation in Rakhine State. The military campaign disproportionately and indiscriminately targeted Rohingya civilians, a Muslim minority group in Myanmar that has long suffered (institutionalised) discrimination. The majority of Rohingya who survived, fled to Bangladesh. The chapter "Ethnic cleansing: The Rohingya’s expulsion from Rakhine State (Myanmar, 2017)" demonstrates that their suffering has not ended there: Many Rohingya continue to suffer from psychological trauma, children have limited or no access to education, young people are at risk of human trafficking, and armed groups are causing insecurity in the camps. At the same time, the large numbers of refugees put pressure on the security, societal and political situation in Bangladesh.