BEYOND SHELTER AND RATIONS: ANALYZING THE DETERMINANTS OF WELL-BEING FOR FORCIBLY DISPLACED MYANMAR NATIONALS

Social Science

The long-term crisis of Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals in Bangladesh is one of the major obstacles to the protection of humanitarian welfare, which is not merely a survival issue, but a physical, psychological and social one, as well. This study is a quantitative analysis of the primary determinants of the humanitarian well-being of Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals, meaning media representation of the crisis, government policy response, camp management and living conditions, and coordination between government and international organization. The cross-sectional design was used to collect data by administering a structured questionnaire consisting of items with a 5-point Likert scale to 320 military as well as humanitarian workforce in Cox’s Bazar, who were selected using non-probability purposive sampling, and frontline insights provided by them form a critical proxy when it comes to assessing systemic effects and outcomes of the refugees. The policy of illegal government actions in restrictive policies, especially the encampment policy and emphasis on repatriation, were seen as major structural obstacles for well-being. Findings indicate that limiting stale policies and adverse media reporting present significant barriers, but camp administration and living standards, as well as a positive working relationship between agencies, are the most robust predictors of the welfare of refugees. The study suggests the change in policy and practice to focus on better direct conditions of living and more cooperative and local coordination systems to improve humanitarian results of Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals. This evidence can provide a favorable direction to the policymakers, humanitarian agencies and host governments to formulate more efficient and sustainable ways of addressing long term refugee crises.

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