Refugee camp itself is a term which to some extant gives a feeling anything excluded from the main stream.
The term makes a group of people marked that does not belong to a particular land historically rather being eradicated from some where else across the boarder.
Historically people are made bound to migrate from one Place to another. Same thing happened in the fate
of a group of people. In the year of 1952 around thousands of families had been migrated from Bangladesh to Assam area, which is now one of the Provincial states of the India after partition took place of this sub continent in 1947. Those people who belonged to Muslim community mobilized because of severe starvation
in Bengal. Around 1940 serious tension arose between two religious groups, Hindu and Muslim.
In the year of 1964 the Indian central Government decided to get all Muslim people back from Assam. Finally
as they were simultaneously Muslim and originally Bangladeshi later Pakistani they were pushed back by force
in 1964.From then on those people are in Bangladesh.
With times most of the young activitiest got frustrated for their superior’s misleading and miss interpretation
of the philosophical stand. Realizing the real situation when they saw themselves using for some purpose
other than politics most of them decided to leave the line. Some of them have already been killed by
opponent
either in confrontation or during guerilla fighting.
After 1971 when Bangladesh got freedom from Pakistan those people were sent to refugee camp situated at Bawniabaad, Mirpur, Dhaka and some other selected places.
Some times when this situation appeared some humanitarian organizations or existing Government gave a
helping hand to manage at list a piece of land or some congested buildings for them to live only. In this way those people who are called Refugees pass their ill fated life generation after generation.
But the question comes when a baby is born in a refugee camp, with the birth of the baby some important issues relating to it’s future like provision of food, education, residence, good social atmosphere etc. arises along with it. All of those basic rights can not be ignored in any case.
Child issue is most important and sensitive for all respects. In spite of having all those concerns children who are born and live in a camp never were given much attention. They don’t have provision of good food. Many, never go to school for primary education. Mostly they get into jobs when they are not mature enough. They have to do so because of poverty. Sometimes they are being bound to manage their own food and shelter
even when they are very young.
What happens usually is that the young girls remain busy all day long in household works. They are always
being deprived of all basic needs by the family.
Mother of Sara told that “It is very difficult to nourish
children in the camp. They always learn slang language around, no tendency to study. Above all, the atmosphere in the camp does not support a child to be good.” Father of Razzak says that “Yes there are schools for children. But I don’t have much income to send them. If I send Razzak to school then who will
help me to maintain the business and expenses for his education?”
The Tragedy is that those people have been here for almost three generations. The first generation knows
why they are in camp. But their children don’t know why they are refugee and why they are living here!
Hygienic problem is another major problem in the camp for children. Most of the time they stay in
unhygienic condition, playing here and there, very little safe water, sometimes no water at all.
Arif’s father says “We always remain in fear that any time our children may fall into drug addiction. Situation
is very dangerous here.” Sraboni’s mother says “There is no future for our children. Once we have lost everything, now we see nothing for our next generation.”
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