This project is a partnership between Plan International Australia and Deakin University, to continue research in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh into ways to improve relations between the Rohingya refugees and host communities. The project seeks to apply our strengthening everyday peace framework to the thorny relationship between host community and the massive refugee population who have displaced them.

Over a million Rohingya refugees have been sheltering in overcrowded camps in this southernmost part of Bangladesh, for over 6 years, after ethnic cleansing. They cannot go home to Myanmar, given the military who perpetrated those crimes are now in control of the state (after a coup), and have no long-term future in Myanmar. They are in a dire situation, with limited support and little hope for the future. They do, however, overwhelm the local host population by about 2 to 1, creating many tensions. The host community in this region were already amongst the poorer people in Bangladesh, and have now become the minority in their own land. While the refugees are by far the most deeply impacted victims, refugee influxes are always stressful on host communities, who also become victims alongside the refugee population. In this case, the massive number of refugees arriving so quickly into such a limited area has put severe strain on the local environment, economy and socio-political context. This not only creates a difficult context to build and maintain peaceful relations and social cohesion between refugee and host communities, but also creates a high risk that pre-existing tensions between different ethnic, religious and social groups within the host community could be amplified..

Plan International run a range of programmes both in the camps and in the host communities. This project has been awarded $70,000 of DFAT funding, via our partner Plan International Australia, to seeks to enable their programme implementation to strengthening everyday peace formation, not exacerbate issues, so their activities reduce tensions between the refugees and host community.

This project is funded by Alinea International P/L