Rohingya children face worsening hunger after nine years in exile

DHAKA, Bangladesh (MNTV) — More Rohingya children are at risk of malnutrition as hunger deepens across refugee camps in Bangladesh, where an entire generation has now spent its childhood in displacement with little prospect of returning home.

About 35% of Rohingya refugees are expected to face crisis or emergency levels of hunger between September and December, according to Save the Children, which warned on Aug. 25 that deteriorating conditions and cuts in humanitarian funding were putting children at increasing risk.

More than 1 million Rohingya live in about 30 camps around Cox’s Bazar in southeastern Bangladesh, most of them members of families who fled a brutal military crackdown in neighboring Burma in 2017. Children make up more than half of the refugee population.

Under the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, just over a quarter of the refugee population is expected to experience Phase 3, or “crisis,” hunger or worse in the final four months of the year.

Another 10% are projected to reach Phase 4, or “emergency,” levels, when families face large food shortages and increased risks of acute malnutrition and death.

The worsening food crisis comes as international funding for the Rohingya humanitarian response has declined, forcing reductions in assistance while refugees have few opportunities to earn their own income.

Save the Children said funding cuts have compounded longstanding problems including overcrowding and inadequate access to nutritious food, clean water, healthcare and livelihoods.

The impact can begin even before a child is born.

Ramida, a 30-year-old Rohingya mother of five whose name was changed for protection, said her family could not afford enough food while she was pregnant with her youngest son, Rakib.

“Because of this, I couldn’t eat as I wanted to and I couldn’t get what I needed,” she said.

Rakib was born underweight and frequently became ill. He was later diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition and received treatment at a Save the Children maternal and child health facility inside the camps.

Poor maternal nutrition increases the likelihood of babies being born underweight and developing malnutrition, potentially raising their risk of death or causing health problems that persist into adulthood.

The humanitarian organization provides nutritional screening and treatment as well as support for pregnant women and feeding counseling for mothers and young children. Its maternal and child hospital also provides round-the-clock inpatient treatment for children suffering severe acute malnutrition with medical complications.

But Save the Children warned that medical treatment alone cannot prevent malnutrition when families lack reliable access to adequate food, clean water and healthcare.

“Nine years after the mass displacement of the Rohingya, an entire generation of children is growing up in exile,” said Golam Mostofa, head of Save the Children’s Cox’s Bazar office.

The camps are also increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather and other safety threats. Monsoon-triggered landslides in July killed 10 children, including students and a teacher, according to the organization.

With conditions deteriorating and few prospects for a secure future, some Rohingya have attempted dangerous sea journeys to other countries, exposing families to drowning, trafficking, and abuse by smugglers. About 900 Rohingya, including children, were reported dead or missing at sea in 2025, Save the Children said.

The organization urged international donors to close funding gaps and called on governments to pursue lasting solutions that would give Rohingya families an alternative to indefinite displacement.