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Motion for a resolution - B8-0294/2018Motion for a resolution
B8-0294/2018

MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation of the Rohingyas refugees, in particular the plight of children

12.6.2018 - (2018/2756(RSP))

with request for inclusion in the agenda for a debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law
pursuant to Rule 135 of the Rules of Procedure

Elena Valenciano, Victor Boştinaru, Soraya Post, Wajid Khan on behalf of the S&D Group

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-0292/2018

Procedure : 2018/2756(RSP)
Document stages in plenary
Document selected :  
B8-0294/2018
Texts tabled :
B8-0294/2018
Texts adopted :

B8‑0294/2018

European Parliament resolution on the situation of the Rohingyas refugees, in particular the plight of children

(2018/2756(RSP))

The European Parliament,

-having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation for the Rohingya people and on Myanmar, notably those of 14 December 2017 and 14 September 2017,

 

-having regard to the statement by Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR), Federica Mogherini, on the situation in the Rakhine State, Myanmar of 6 September 2017,

 

-having regard to the Joint Statement by the VP/HR and UNICEF Executive Director on the EU and UNICEF: Partners for Children of 25 May 2018,

 

-having regard to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar of 9 March 2018,

 

-having regard to the EU Guidelines for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of the Child,

-having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,

 

-having regard to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child,

-having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 1966,

-having regard to the UNHCR Global Action Plan to End Statelessness 2014-2024,

-having regard to the Final Report of the Advisory Commission on Rakine State,

 

-having regard to the ASEAN Charter,

 

-having regard to Rule 135(5) and 123(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

 

A.whereas the Rohingya population is one of the most persecuted minorities in the world, facing ongoing repression and serious violations of human rights predominantly in their home state of Rakhine in Myanmar; whereas the Rohingya people are denied citizenship rights and rendered stateless under the Myanmar 1982 Citizenship Law;

 

B.whereas the violence sparked in 2017 led to an overwhelmingly disproportionate response from the Myanmar military; whereas severe human rights violations were committed against the Rohingya people which the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights referred to as a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing”; whereas this assault led to a mass exodus in search of safety across the border to Bangladesh; whereas to date over 700,000 Rohingya refugees have arrived in Bangladesh and are living in refugee camps; whereas the absence of any realistic prospect of safe and voluntary return and the lack of political progress to resolve the crisis in Myanmar suggests that this situation will not be resolved in the short term and therefore requires a long-term approach, especially addressing children’s rights and needs;

 

C.whereas approximately 600,000 Rohingyas remain in Rakhine State including 300,000 children; whereas the lack of access for humanitarian organisations to northern Rakhine State and lack of information on the fate of Rohingya residents has led to a protection gap for children and their families;

 

D.whereas the Government of Bangladesh is cooperating with UNHCR and the IOM to manage the camps and provide essential services; whereas the financial responsibility for assisting the refugee population cannot disproportionately fall on Bangladesh;

 

E.whereas the Rohingya refugees are predominantly women and children; whereas crises often impact women and girls more severely and in different ways than men and boys by reinforcing, perpetuating and exacerbating pre-existing, persistent gender inequalities, gender-based violence and discrimination; whereas there has been widespread rape and sexual assault committed against Rohingya women in Rakhine State and during the journey to Bangladesh; whereas a high number of pregnant women have arrived at the refugee camps and over 16,000 babies have been born in the camps in the past 10 months; whereas it is estimated only 18% of mothers are giving birth in health centres; whereas women and girls continue to face a high risk of sexual violence and widespread gender discrimination;

 

F.whereas 55% of the Rohingya refugee population are children; whereas Rohingya children have experienced or witnessed traumatic events, including in many cases the loss of one or both parents, separation from family, physical abuse, psychological distress, malnutrition, illness, sexual exploitation and witnessing crimes against humanity in Rakhine State including the systematic burning of homes, physical attacks and rape perpetrated against Rohingyas;

 

G.whereas many orphaned or separated Rohingya children have been forced by circumstance to assume parental and financial responsibility for younger siblings; whereas access to education in the refugee camps is very limited, with 3 out of every 4 children still missing their right to education;

 

H.whereas the monsoon season has begun in Bangladesh; whereas at least 200,000 people in the refugee camps are at immediate risk of flooding and landslides; whereas there are grave threats to lives, shelters, food and water supplies; whereas there is a high risk of the spread of diseases including cholera and hepatitis during monsoon flooding; whereas very few Rohingya refugees have had access to medical assistance or vaccinations prior to arriving in Bangladesh;

 

1.Expresses deep concern at the ongoing ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya people; calls for the immediate cessation of violence and human rights abuses by the Myanmar military and security services; urges the Government of Myanmar to allow full unhindered access to Rakhine State for international observes and human rights and humanitarian relief organisations, including the UN and international NGOs;

 

2.Recognises the efforts undertaken by the government and people of Bangladesh to provide refuge and security to Rohingya refugees; calls for an immediate scaling up of the financial support from the international community to meet the needs of the refugee population as well as the host community, with a view to fully fund the existing and future Joint Response Plans;

 

3.Believes that the situation requires a comprehensive and a long-term approach, involving continued response to urgent humanitarian needs, the mobilisation of resources to support a longer-term development response and mitigate impacts on the local population, and a significant shift in policy to build refugees’ resilience and independence; encourages donors to commit to longer-term funding that would better enable operational organisations to provide sustainable support;

 

 

4.Expresses grave concern at the potentially catastrophic humanitarian situation facing the camps as the monsoon season intensifies; acknowledges the efforts made by the Government of Bangladesh, UNHCR, IOM and non-governmental organisations to relocate the most vulnerably-housed refugees to safer areas in the refugee camps and increase preparedness in the camps; calls on EU and international support to focus on assistance particularly for shelter reinforcement, water and sanitation facilities, vaccination programmes and food distribution;

 

5.Emphasises the importance of comprehensive child protection strategies in the refugee camps to ensure the safety and security of children where they live; stresses the vital importance of child-friendly spaces and temporary learning centres in the refugee camps as an essential element of child protection and important component of psychological support for refugee children;

 

6.Is concerned at the limited access to quality education for children in the refugee camps and notes the strongly articulated desire of child refugees in Bangladesh to fulfil their right to education; welcomes the education services provided by UN agencies and NGOs in learning centres; calls on the Government of Bangladesh to facilitate greater access to education for refugee children in their mother tongue, provided in school facilities, by both UN agencies and international NGOs; notes that education is the best way to provide long-term support and opportunities for young people, and to relieve the burden on the host communities;

 

7.Calls for greater support from donors for further measures aimed at ensuring better protection of women and girls in the refugee camps; recalls the need for medical and psychological assistance particularly tailored for vulnerable groups including women and children; calls for increased support services for victims of rape and sexual assault; insists all women and girls should have access to information and services on sexual and reproductive health including contraception and safe abortion; insists on the importance of listening to and involving women’s voices in the design of humanitarian and resilience-building measures by all stakeholders;

 

8.Welcomes the antenatal and post-natal support being provided by agencies and organisations; recalls the importance of establishing registration facilities and certificates for newborn babies to ensure they have documentation to guarantee legal rights and access to basic services, and to support family tracing, in line with commitments from the Government of Bangladesh to ensure all births occurring within its territory are registered; recalls that maintaining the family unit is crucial for these children to access their rights;

 

9.Deplores the trafficking and sexual exploitation of women and children; expresses deep concern at the growing networks trafficking vulnerable Rohingya refugees including children; urges the authorities in Bangladesh and Myanmar to work with the UNHCR, human rights organisations and the international community to uncover sex trafficking networks, bring those responsible to justice and provide comprehensive medical and psychological support for the women and children affected;

 

10.Is concerned at reports of child marriages in the refugee camps; urges the authorities and responsible agencies to raise awareness of the exploitation and danger for children, particularly young girls, associated with child marriage; notes that cases of child marriage are often motivated by lack of household resources including food, and lack of self-resilience opportunities;

 

11.Highlights the daily plight of the Rohingya who remain in Rakhine State, and who face a continued lack of basic rights including citizenship, freedom of movement and access to education and healthcare; calls on the Government of Myanmar to fully implement the recommendations of the Rakhine Advisory Commission without delay, including long-term access to education and healthcare for children;

 

12.Notes that a long-term resolution must be sought for the Rohingya population, and that a generation of children should not grow up in refugee camps; calls on the Government of Myanmar to ensure the safe, orderly and legal return of the Rohingya people to their place of origin or of their choice, with the full involvement of the UNHCR in the monitoring process, once the conditions for return are fulfilled; reaffirms the principle of non-refoulement and insists that no refugees are forcibly returned to Myanmar; urges the Government of Bangladesh and the international community to seek an alternative temporary settlement plan if the safe, voluntary return is not possible in the medium-term, without prejudice to the Rohingyas’ right of return and the obligation of Myanmar to facilitate it;

 

13.Calls on the EEAS and Member States to seek accountability for the committed crimes in Myanmar in multilateral fora through the establishment of an international, impartial, and independent mechanism to support investigations into alleged atrocity crimes, focused on collecting and preserving evidence for international criminal proceedings, such as a referral of Myanmar to the International Criminal Court;

 

14.Calls on the VP/HR, EEAS and Member States to put pressure on China’s Special Envoy to Myanmar, ASEAN states and other neighbouring countries to exert their influence to oppose human rights violations, engage with Myanmar in order to reach a resolution of the crisis, and to assist Bangladesh in its humanitarian response to the refugee crisis, especially addressing children’s rights and needs;

 

15.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the European Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the EU Special Representative for Human Rights, the Government and Parliament of Myanmar and the Government and Parliament of Bangladesh.

 

 

Last updated: 12 June 2018
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