28, Dec 2017 | CJP Team

The United Nations’ refugee agency, UNHCR, in a story titled ‘Orphaned Rohingya children forced to grow up too fast’, has featured teenager Rohingya children who have been compelled to take on the responsibility of their siblings, having lost their parents. UNHCR said “some 650,000” Rohingya refugees have fled to Bangladesh, and that it believes children comprise 55% of “the total refugee population.” UNHCR noted that several thousand have escaped Myanmar “without the protection of their family or community and become caregivers to younger siblings or other children overnight.” The agency said that “according to the current family counting exercise, some  5,600 families are headed by children under 18 years of age.” UNHCR said it, and associated organisations are “identifying families headed by children, as well as children who are alone or unaccompanied, for individual follow-up to assess their situation.” UNHCR also said “sustainable foster care arrangements” and “more child-friendly spaces and education facilities” are being created to help these children.