To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the needs of persecuted and displaced Burmese people in Burma and Bangladesh; and what steps they are taking to address those needs.
Answered on
2 July 2018
More than 700,000 Rohingya have fled into Bangladesh since August last year, and urgently need food, shelter, and medical help. Those who have stayed in Burma also need help immediately. The UK is a leading donor to the humanitarian effort in Bangladesh, having committed £129m to help since last August. Our help has ensured that more than 391,000 children under the age of seven have been vaccinated, 450,000 people have benefited from support to make their shelters more resistant to heavy rain, and our aid will ensure 250,000 people will continue to have access to safe water through the rainy season. We are supporting 30 ‘child friendly spaces’ to support children with protective services and psychosocial and psychological support, and 19 women’s centres will offer a safe space, psychosocial support and activities to women and girls. We have also provided £1 million to the Red Cross and £2 million to the World Food Programme (WFP) to provide assistance in northern Rakhine in Burma.