In Frames: The vulnerable lives of Rohingya children in Jammu’s Kirana Talab Camp
by News Desk
Mehran Bhat
As Anti-muslim sentiments in India gain pace, Rohingya Muslims and their children not only fear detentions but are living in fear of attacks by right-wing groups. The Human Rights Watch (HRW) estimates that there are 40,000 Rohingya refugees in India, the majority of whom live in makeshift camps in Jammu, Hyderabad and New Delhi. Nearly 10,000 of these refugees live in makeshift shanties in the Hindu-dominated city of Jammu.
Photo: Mehran Bhat
The education of Rohingya children has suffered immensely. They are being deprived of quality education, and with unfavorable conditions around, most of the Rohingya children have dropped out of school in order to escape detentions. Photo: Mehran Bhat.
Rohingya families living in Jammu said that if the authorities wanted to deport them, they should be deported all at once. “Separating one from their parents and family is painful and devastating.” Photo: Mehran Bhat.
These families said that they had come here to live peacefully and wanted their children to be safe from what they faced back in Myanmar, but “we are unlucky. Even living far from the place didn’t help us or our children.” Photo: Mehran Bhat
The Rohingya families living in Jammu, India, want authorities to safeguard them and make possible ways which can lead to better living standard of these children. Photo: Mehran Bhat
Rohingyas living in Jammu work as laborers to feed their families. Photo: Mehran Bhat
Parents of Rohingya children feel that their children are living a life of prisoners where they don’t have liberty to move out freely. They spend the whole day playing in the slum areas and do not move out due the fear of being teased and detained. Photo: Mehran Bhat.
Most of the Rohingya children spend days in helping their mothers in the household chores or playing outside their makeshift houses in Jammu. Photo: Mehran Bhat
Many Rohingya children in Jammu live without their parents since their parents were detained by authorities after they failed to provide valid documents. Last year, in March, more than 170 Rohingya refugees were detained and taken to Hira Nagar jail in Jammu after they failed to provide valid documents. More than 150 refugees are currently imprisoned in the Hira Nagar jail in Jammu. Photo: Mehran Bhat.
Many Rohingya children living in Jammu are unaware of the fact that their parents are detained. The other family members of these children are worried about the future of these small children, however, they live with a small hope that the children will be reunited with their parents, someday. Photo: Mehran Bhat
