UNICEF fears collapse of services in Rohingya camps

DHAKA, Bangladesh (MNTV) — UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Orlando Bloom has sounded alarm over a deepening humanitarian crisis in Bangladesh’s Rohingya refugee camps, warning that shrinking international aid could erase years of progress in protecting children’s lives and education.

During a four-day visit to Cox’s Bazar, home to nearly one million Rohingya refugees who fled violence in Myanmar, Bloom met children, teachers, and aid workers to witness firsthand the impact of what he called a “child survival crisis.” His visit highlighted the effects of global cuts in official development assistance (ODA), which have forced critical services — from schools to healthcare — to scale back.

“The children in these camps are 100 percent dependent on aid, but that aid is sadly shrinking,” Bloom said during the visit. “These children need education and safety if they are to have any future.”

According to UNICEF, which has operated in the camps since the 2017 mass exodus, the situation has reached a breaking point. Severe funding shortages forced temporary school closures earlier this year, disrupting education for nearly 150,000 children. Although some classes have resumed, a projected funding gap in early 2026 threatens to shut down all schools again, cutting off learning for over 300,000 children.

UNICEF data also shows a sharp rise in child protection violations. In October 2025 alone, more than 400 Rohingya children were abducted or recruited by armed groups — triple the number from the same month last year. Bloom said he met two children who recently escaped captivity after months of abuse, describing their trauma as “lifelong.”

In addition to safety concerns, the camps face growing health and sanitation crises. Poor hygiene has caused a 24 percent increase in skin diseases, while cases of severe acute malnutrition among children under five have risen by 11 percent compared with last year.

UNICEF Representative in Bangladesh Rana Flowers warned that aid cuts could “create a lost generation.” She said more than half a million children risk losing access to education, nutrition, and basic protection if donors fail to act. “The ripple effect of this funding crisis will touch every aspect of their lives — less food, fewer health services, and no shield from exploitation,” she said.

Bloom’s visit comes as global development funding faces a projected 20 percent decline over the next four years. UNICEF has urged governments to reverse cuts, stressing that every dollar withdrawn from humanitarian programs leaves children more vulnerable to hunger, abuse, and despair.

“The situation unfolding in the Rohingya camps is a child survival crisis,” Bloom said. “We must not allow these children to become invisible. They don’t deserve to be forgotten — no child does.”