Rohingya Refugee Camps at Mewat, Haryana

Transcription

1 Rohingya Refugee Camps at Mewat, Haryana Fact Finding Report September 2015 Conducted By Human Rights Law Network 576 Masjid Road, Jangpura Bhogal New Delhi

2 I. Introduction The Team On 20 th September 2015, a fact finding team visited two camps in Mewat, Haryana. The team comprised of Pratibha D mello, Social activist, two interns (HRLN) and Jaffar Ullah, the petitioner 1 in this case and Rohingya 1 refugee community leader and intermediary for UNHCR. The Camps The team visited Nangli Camp number 1 and 7. Both camps were flooded due to rainfall and lack of drainage system. In Nangli Camp 1, a refugee had died of snakebite a few days before. The refugees of Nangli Camp 7 had to leave their settlement due to the water logging and are currently living in a large building which is still under construction. The Interviews In Camp 1, the interviewees were mostly questioned about the general conditions and the snakebite in that camp. One pregnant woman was also questioned on maternal health issues. For the interviews conducted in Camp 7, the focus was laid on reproductive health issues, services available, access to services, schemes and entitlements guaranteed under National Health Mission, and Integrated Child Development Schemes (ICDS). The team interviewed pregnant women and lactating mothers to understand their experiences with the health system, the violations they faced and the quality of care available. Other larger issues like availability of civic amenities and sanitation issues were also part of the fact-finding. Previous Reports HRLN has already conducted a number of fact findings in Mewat district in April 2013, July 2013, February 2014, July 2014 and in February 2015,. The teams visited different camps and interviewed the residents on the general conditions and specifically women on reproductive rights issues. The reports regarding all visits have been created and filed along with this case. With respect to general information on Mewat District, it can be referred to from previous reports (especially the last report created in February 2014). However, the current report is evident in showing that there hasn t been any improvement in services for this community in the past years 1 The Rohingya people are a Muslim minority group residing in the Rakhine state, formerly known as Arakan. In 2015 an ongoing incident of migration of thousands of Rohingya people from Myanmar and Bangladesh began, collectively dubbed as 'boat people' by international media,to Southeast Asian countries

3 and months, and that especially women are still facing great challenges when it comes to pre- and post-delivery healthcare. Map of Area

4 Table of Contents I. Introduction... 2 II. Nangli Camp General Conditions Case Studies... 7 (a) Snakebite Incident... 7 (b) Asman Noor... 7 III. Nangli Camp General Conditions Case Studies (a) Rohima Khatum (No. 1) (b) Laila Begum (No. 2) (c) Sajida Begum (No. 3) (d) Anwara Begum (No. 4) (e) Rukaiya (No. 5) (f) Rehana Khalum (No. 6) (g) Fatima (No. 7) (h) Sayra (No. 8) IV. Conclusion and Recommendations... 19

5 II. Nangli Camp 1 1. General Condition Total Jhuggies: 26 Total families: 55 Infrastructure The Nangli camp no. 1 is located on government land in the vicinity of the main road in Nuh area of Mewat district. The camp has been in existence since July The houses are mostly wooden construction with plastic tarps and roofs of Figure 1: Water logging in Nangli Camp 1 straw. It appears that the material has been provided from a single central source as the entire camp looked alike.. The community has to fend for itself. After a heavy rainfall, most of the huts were in poor and inhabitable condition. Just a few hours of rainfall had led to flooded area. In order to even reach the huts, the inhabitants had to wade through knee-deep muddy water. Water/Sanitation facilities The peopel residing in these camps are living without any access to safe water and sanitation. The only possibility for the refugees to get fresh water is to buy the water. The camps lack the facility of safe drinking water. Potable and non- potable 1,400 litres water costs Rs. 600/-. Poor sanitation systems are among the leading causes of the spread of preventable diseases in developing nations. The waste is disposed in the streets. Toilets with proper plumbing does not exist (neither temporary nor permanent ones); instead, people are left with no other option but to defecate in the open (by digging holes in the ground). With respect to healthcare services, an ASHA worker provided vaccinations to the children; however, the refugees do not know what kind of vaccination it was. Women take care of the homes and the children, whereas most of the men are daily wage labourers.

6 Education The children of the camp are not allowed to register at the local government school due to lack of proper documents and Adhaar card. Although the refugee children can attend classes, they are not a part of the formal education system because their names are not registered. As a consequence, they are not able to attain certificates or to properly enrol in the education system. Figure 2: Refugee women and children in the flooded refugee camp Health Services With respect to general health services, the refugee community has one PHC at NUH for minor ailments like fever, cough etc. There is also a civil hospital in NUH, which is 2 km away from the community, but it only provides check-ups and no other facilities. For major illnesses and maternal health services most of the people go to Sheed Hasan Khan Mewati Medical college hospital at Nalhad, which is 4 km away. They have to pay 150 Rs. for the transport (one way). Apart from that, the refugees also visit private clinics/hospitals since they have experienced many instances of negligence and misbehaviour at the Nalhad hospital. The residents referred to Jakir Huasin, a 45 year old man, who visited Nalhad hospital for his swollen leg. He was admitted in the hospital for three days. Jakir Huasin was asked to purchase all the medicines from outside. He also had to purchase one injection that costed Rs. 710/-; however, the injection was given to some other patient. When he objected to it, his file was snatched and he was driven out of the hospital. Jakir Huasin came back home and died after 2 days without any treatment.

7 2. Case Studies (a) Snakebite Incident The person who has died of the snakebite is Swaley Ahmat. He died instantly after the incident. Swaley Ahmat was 43 years old and had a Maulana Degree. He earned his living as a cloth vendor by importing cloth from Delhi for sale in the local area. Swaley Ahmat has been living in the cluster Nangli camp 1 for three years. He was father to 12 children (4 boys and 8 girls), of which the eldest was working as labourer whereas one is studying Arabic. Swaley Ahmat suffered from back pain and kidney problems and had visited the Safdarjung hospital. Swaley Ahmat was married to Zomila, aged 32. She is recognized as refugee by the UNHCR and possesses a respective identification card. Apart from that, she does not have any other identification papers; moreover she does not have a long-term visa or any other form of residence permit issued by the government. She does not receive any subsistence allowance. Zomila had reached the Nangli Camp 1 as first destination in India. (b) Asman Noor Interviewee Name: Asman Noor Home State: Myanmar Address: Nangli Camp 1, Nuh, Mewat, Haryana Age: 18 Age at the time of marriage: 17 Education: None Husband s name: Md. Rafiq Age at the time of first pregnancy: 18 Number of children: 0 Number of pregnancies: 1 Type of delivery: / Identification/Documentation: UNHCR card (mentioned as REFUGEE) Health facilities: Primary Health Centre, Community Health Centre and hospitals are present in the residing area. There is no ambulance facility available in the

8 vicinity. She is not aware of Government Schemes like Janani Suraksha Yojana, Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram or the National Maternity Benefit Scheme. Asman is currently 9 months pregnant. She did not have her first Antenatal checkups nor did she receive any subsistence allowance. She does not have any other identification paper and no visa or residence permit from the government. Her husband previously lived in Delhi for 1 year; after that he came to Mewat. Asman has to buy water for both potable and non-potable purposes. The residents dig holes in the ground for sanitation purposes and cover those with bamboo. She disposes waste generated from home in the streets. Figure 3: Interviews in Nangli Camp 1

9 III. Nangli Camp 7 1. General Conditions The original camp is covered under water now due to heavy rain, as a result of which the inhabitants had to shift. On a temporary basis, they are allowed to stay in a building still under construction, converted in to an emergency shelter. The building consists of two floors and a basement. The windows and doors, parts of the outer walls, parts of the roof, and the interiors are still missing. As a result, there are holes in both the exterior walls and floors with no barriers. The stairs between the ground floor and first floor do not have a balustrade. The ground floor has access to the basement which is flooded with standing dirt water. Approximately 88 families with 720 people are living in this complex. Children of all ages run about and are under risk of falling off the first floor and stairs. There is no electricity, sanitation facility or other infrastructure available in the building. A basic cooking facility exists. Figure 4: Refugee children on the first floor of the construction site Figure 5: Stairs to the basement filled with dirt water

10 Figure 6: Stairs to the basement filled with dirt water 2. Case Studies (a) Rohima Khatum (No. 1) Interviewee Name: Rohima Khatum Home State: Myanmar Address: Nangli Camp 7, Nuh, Mewat, Haryana Age: 30 Age at the time of marriage: 18 Education: None Husband s name: Hamid Hussein Husband s Occupation: Weekly Labourer Age at the time of first pregnancy: She does not remember Number of children: 6 (3 boys, 3 girls) Number of pregnancies: 6 Figure 7: Rohima Khatum with her child Type of delivery: Normal (at home) Identification/Documentation: UNHCR card (mentioned as REFUGEE)

11 Health facilities: Primary Health Centre, Community Health Centre and hospitals are present in the residing area. There is no ambulance facility available in the vicinity. The interviewee is not aware of Government Schemes like Janani Suraksha Yojana, Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram or the National Maternity Benefit Scheme. Rohima is a lactating mother. She has a one year old baby boy. Her baby received a vaccination at the Civil Hospital. She is charged 10 Rs. per visit. Rohima did not have her first Antenatal checkups; she does not receive any subsistence allowance either. Rohima does not have any other identification paper (other than the UNHCR refugee card) and no visa or residence permit from the government. She has access to a water line and sometimes gets water from their Indian neighbours. The residents dig holes in the soil outside for sanitation purposes and cover those with bamboo. She disposes waste generated from home in the barren land. (b) Laila Begum (No. 2) Interviewee Name: Laila Begum Home State: Myanmar Address: Nangli Camp 7, Nuh, Mewat, Haryana Age: 19 Age at the time of marriage: 17 Education: None (illiterate) Husband s name: Md. Hasan Husband s Occupation: Labourer Figure 8: Laila Begum (girl with pink scarf) and her child Age at the time of first pregnancy: 18 Number of children: 1 (1 girl) Number of pregnancies: 1 Type of delivery: Normal (at home, Dai present) Identification/Documentation: UNHCR card (mentioned as REFUGEE)

12 Health facilities: Primary Health Centre, Community Health Centre and hospitals are present in the residing area. The next hospital is Nalhad Government Hospital. There is no ambulance facility available in the vicinity. The interviewee is not aware of Government Schemes like Janani Suraksha Yojana, Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram or the National Maternity Benefit Scheme. Laila is a lactating mother and has a 5 months old daughter. She received two Antenatal checkups including examination of her weight, height and breasts, folic acid supplementation and a tetanus toxoid injection. However, Laila has never been visited by any ASHA worker or accessed an Anganwadi Center. She has not had any contraceptive counselling either but received counselling on nutrition. Laila stated that she experienced unfriendly treatment during her checkups. She has had her daughter vaccinated in a government facility; apart from that, she is not aware of any service provided with regard to children below the age of 6 such as primary education. At the time of the interview, she did not have any diseases but felt a general weakness. Laila has been living in this camp for 7 months. Before, she stayed in Jogipur and Salahadih. In the camp, dog bite accidents have occurred. Laila has access to water only once in three days. She has to buy it from a local tanker. Like the other residents, she digs holes in the soil for sanitation purposes. She disposes waste in an emply plot. (c) Sajida Begum (No. 3) Interviewee Name: Sajida Begum Home State: Myanmar Address: Nangli Camp 7, Nuh, Mewat, Haryana Age: 20 Age at the time of marriage: 18 Education: Arabi Husband s name: Emdadul Haq Husband s Occupation: Labourer Age at the time of first pregnancy: 19 Figure 9: Sajida Begum and her child

13 Number of children: 1 Number of pregnancies: 1 Type of delivery: Normal (at home) Identification/Documentation: UNHCR card (mentioned as REFUGEE) Health facilities: Primary Health Centre, Community Health Centre and hospitals are present in the residing area. There is no ambulance facility available in the vicinity. The interviewee is not aware of Government Schemes like Janani Suraksha Yojana, Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram or the National Maternity Benefit Scheme. Sajida is a lactating mother. She has a six months old baby boy. Her baby received vaccination at the Civil Hospital. She is charged Rs. 10/- per visit. Sajida did not have Antenatal checkups, nor does she receive any subsistence allowance. Apart from the UNHCR card, she does not have any other identification paper and no visa or residence permit from the government. Her husband previously lived in Bangladesh for 1 year before he came to Mewat. Sajida has access to a water line and sometimes gets water from their Indian neighbours. They dig holes in the soil for sanitation purposes and cover those with bamboo. She disposes waste generated from home in the barren land. (d) Anwara Begum (No. 4) Interviewee Name: Anwara Begum Home State: Myanmar Address: Nangli Camp 7, Nuh, Mewat, Haryana Age: 25 Age at the time of marriage: She does not remember Education: None Husband s name: Mohd. Hashin Husband s Occupation: Labourer Age at the time of first pregnancy: 13 Number of children: 3 (3 boys) Figure 10: Anwana Begum and her child

14 Number of pregnancies: 3 Type of delivery: Normal (at home) Identification/Documentation: UNHCR card (mentioned as REFUGEE) Health facilities: Primary Health Centre, Community Health Centre and hospitals are present in the residing area. There is no ambulance facility available in the vicinity. The interviewee is not aware of Government Schemes like Janani Suraksha Yojana, Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram or the National Maternity Benefit Scheme. Anwara is a lactating mother and has a 6 months old baby boy. She had Antenatal checkups in a civil hospital after 3 months and 5 months of her pregnancy. Anwana had her last delivery at home. Due to complications with the uterus during her delivery, a lady doctor (whose qualification was unclear) came to her home and gave her 6 injections. The 13 days of treatment costed Rs. 6,000/-. Anwara has had a uterus prolapse and cannot afford a surgery. Moreover, the contraceptive shots that she used to receive while in Myanmar are not available here. Her children received vaccinations from a AWC teacher. Anwara does not have a visa or residence permit from the government. Her two sons (12 years and 6 years old) go to school which provides free education. She used to work as labourer and had to go to the police when she did not receive her wage. She has a debt of amount Rs. 3500/-. Anwara has access to water only once in three days. She has to buy it from a local tanker. For sanitation purposes, they have to use the barren plot. (e) Rukaiya (No. 5) Interviewee Name: Rukaiya Home State: Myanmar Address: Nangli Camp 7, Nuh, Mewat, Haryana Age: 35 Age at the time of marriage: 17 Education: None Husband s name: Md. Alam Husband s Occupation: Labourer Figure 11: Rukoiya with her child

15 Age at the time of first pregnancy: 26 Number of children: 5 (3 boys, 2 girls) Number of pregnancies: 5 Type of delivery: Normal (at home) Identification/Documentation: UNHCR card (mentioned as REFUGEE) Health facilities: Primary Health Centre, Community Health Centre and Hospitals are present in the residing area. There is no ambulance facility available in the vicinity. The interviewee is not aware of Government Schemes like Janani Suraksha Yojana, Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram or the National Maternity Benefit Scheme. Rukaiya is a lactating mother. She has a nine months old baby boy. Her baby received vaccination at the Civil Hospital. She was charged Rs. 10/- per visit. She did not undergo any first Antenatal checkups. Apart from the UNCHR refugee card, Rukaiya does not have any other identification paper and no visa or residence permit from the government. She does not receive any subsistence allowance either. Her husband previously lived in Salarpur and Jogipur; after that he came to Mewat. She has access to a water line and sometimes gets water from their Indian neighbours. The residents dig holes in the soil for sanitation purposes and cover those with bamboo. The camp residents dispose waste generated from home in the barren land. (f) Rehana Khalum (No. 6) Interviewee Name: Rehana Khalum Home State: Myanmar Address: Nangli Camp 7, Nuh, Mewat, Haryana Age: 18 Age at the time of marriage: 14 Education: None Husband s name: Nur Alam Figure 12: Rehana Khalum with her child

16 Husband s Occupation: Labourer Age at the time of first pregnancy: 14 Number of children: 2 (1 boy, 1 girl) Number of pregnancies: 2 Type of delivery: Normal (at home) Identification/Documentation: UNHCR card (mentioned as REFUGEE) Health facilities: Primary Health Centre, Community Health Centre and hospitals are present in the residing area. There is no ambulance facility available in the vicinity. The interviewee is not aware of Government Schemes like Janani Suraksha Yojana, Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram or the National Maternity Benefit Scheme. Rehana is a lactating mother. She has a one year old baby boy. Her baby received vaccination at the Civil Hospital. She was charged Rs. 150/- when she visited it. Rehana had to buy medicine from sources outside the hospital whenever the medicine cost more than Rs. 10/-. She has received an Antenatal checkup, which costed her Rs. 150/-. Rehana does not receive any subsistence allowance. Apart from the UNCHR card, she does not have any other identification paper and no visa or residence permit from the government. Her husband previously lived in Shaladih before he came to Mewat. She has access to a water line and sometimes gets water from their Indian neighbours. The residents dig holes in the soil for sanitation purposes and cover those with bamboo. She disposes waste generated from home in the barren land. (g) Fatima (No. 7) Interviewee Name: Fatima Home State: Myanmar Address: Nangli Camp 7, Nuh, Mewat, Haryana Age: 30 Age at the time of marriage: 16 Education: None Figure 13: Fatima with her child

17 Husband s name: Md. Salim Husband s Occupation: Labourer Age at the time of first pregnancy: She did not remember Number of children: 4 (1 boy, 3 girls) Number of pregnancy: 4 Type of delivery: Cesarian (in Nalhad Hospital) Identification/Documentation: UNHCR card (mentioned as REFUGEE) Health facilities: Primary Health Centre, Community Health Centre and hospitals are present in the residing area. There is no ambulance facility available in the vicinity. The interviewee is not aware of Government Schemes like Janani Suraksha Yojana, Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram or the National Maternity Benefit Scheme. Fatima is a lactating mother. She has a three months old baby girl. Her baby received vaccination at the Civil Hospital. She gets charged Rs. 10/- per visit. Fatima has had four Antenatal checkups. The first one was provided in Civil Hospital when she was 3 months pregnant; she underwent the second checkup at Nalhad Hospital. Fatima had to spend Rs. 5,000-6,000 for her Cesarian delivery. The hospital did not provide her any food. Although she suffered from anaemia and was in need of 4 units of blood, she did not receive any blood from the hospital but was told to purchase the blood herself. She also had to buy drugs and consumables herself. The same day after delivery, the hospital asked her to leave. The Midwife (Dai) demanded Rs. 250/- from her. Fatima does not receive any subsistence allowance. She does not have any identification paper (other than the UNHCR refugee card) and no visa or residence permit from the government. She has access to a water line and sometimes gets water from their Indian neighbours. As the other refugees, she digs holes in the soil for sanitation purposes and covers those with bamboo. Like other camp residents, she disposes waste in the empty plot.

18 (h) Sayra (No. 8) Interviewee Name: Sayra Home State: Myanmar Address: Nangli Camp 7, Nuh, Mewat, Haryana Age: 20 Age at the time of marriage: 18 Education: None Husband s name: Md. Alam Husband s Occupation: Labourer Age at the time of first pregnancy: 18 Number of children: 1 (1 boy) Number of pregnancies: 2 Type of delivery: Normal (at home) Identification/Documentation: UNHCR card (mentioned as REFUGEE) Figure 14: Sayra with her child Health facilities: Primary Health Centre, Community Health Centre and Hospitals are present in the residing area. There is no ambulance facility available in the area. The interviewee is not aware of Government Schemes like Janani Suraksha Yojana, Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram or the National Maternity Benefit Scheme. Sayra is 3 months pregnant. She had her first Antenatal checkup in Civil Hospital when she was 2 months pregnant. She gets charged Rs. 10/-. per visit. Sayra also suffers from anaemia. Apart from the UNHCR refugee card, she does not have any identification paper and no visa or residence permit from the government. She does not receive any subsistence allowance either. Sayra directly came to Mewat. In order to get water, she has access to a water line and sometimes gets water from their Indian neighbours. Like other residents, she digs holes in the soil for sanitation purposes and covers those with bamboo. She disposes waste generated from home in the barren land.

19 IV. Conclusion and Recommendations The interviews revealed that the refugee communities are in need of both urgent and long-term relief. Especially the water logging problem is a recurring situation that requires ad hoc as well as prevention measures. The recent incident of snake bite has shown that the water not only exacerbates life but also poses a threat to the life of the residents. The refugee communities are moreover living in a remote area that is not well connected with governmental support schemes. Fending for themselves, the refugees lack access to basic sanitation facilities, education, and (maternal) healthcare. The pregnant and lactating women are in an especially vulnerable position. These women are in dire need of special care, for which schemes do exist but are mostly not available for the refugee women. This is either due to the lack of knowledge of such services, the denial of access, or non-existence of facilities. Although the refugees do not face harassment from locals, their inadequate treatment in the healthcare sector gives cause for concern. All fact findings filed in this case were conducted in regular intervals and reveal that the situation in Mewat, especially for women, has not improved. There are still severe issues with regard to access to healthcare and information on available maternal health Schemes. Moreover, the recent water logging and snakebite incident is a result of insufficient infrastructure such as a decent housing for the refugees. Already in earlier visits, residents have told the team about water logging problems and snakebite accidents. The death of yet another resident is alarming and proves the continuing plight of the Rohingya communities in Mewat District. Recommendations: Ensure that the refugees receive land that is free and inhabitable on a longterm basis, i.e. that is protected from natural disasters and expulsion Provide safe housing with appropriate sanitation, sleeping and cooking facilities Ensure free access to water at any time Direct Anganwandi and ASHA workers to the camps to provide services Make available free access to appropriate public healthcare Enhance awareness-rising on available maternal health schemes Admit children to government schools Encourage free registration of births