Corruption and irregularities are somewhat institutionalised in humanitarian assistance for Rohingya while their rapid and pervasive arrival in Bangladesh has posed social, economic and security challenges to stakeholders, a TIB study said.
The availability of Rohingya labour has reduced the opportunities of employment for the local people in Ukhiya and Teknaf as locals are engaging Rohingyas in various daily activities (salt cultivation, shrimp hatchery, cultivation etc).
So, the wage of local day labourers has decreased more than 15 per cent on average, according to the study conducted by Transparency International Bangladesh.
Besides, the prices of goods in the local market have increased due to higher demand. The prices of vegetables, fish and meat have increased 50-60 per cent.
The roads in Ukhiya and Teknaf upazilas are badly affected due to movement of relief trucks and aid workers' vehicles.
According to Department of Roads and Highways (2019), traffic in this area has increased 2.5 times while transport costs for the locals have also increased, the study added.
The study report titled 'Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (Rohingya) in Bangladesh: Governance Challenges and Way out' was released at a press conference held at Midas Centre in the city on Thursday.
TIB researchers Shahnur Rahman, Nazmul Huda Mina and Gulam Mohiuddin conducted the research from July 13 to October 30 this year.
The main objective of this study was to identify governance challenges in management of forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals in Bangladesh.
TIB executive director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said despite welcome from the international community for providing shelter to Rohingyas, Bangladesh has been facing social, environmental and security risks along with financial burden.
"Various sources show that the Bangladesh government has so far disbursed Tk 23.08 billion (from 2017 to 2019) from own fund through different ministries and departments for Rohingya management. The possibility to maintain continuous flow of international fund is not visible while the amount is decreasing," he said.
The study found that some officials at NGO Affairs Bureau and DC office are allegedly delaying project approval (FD-7) and demanding money along with gifts to expedite the approval process. The delay happens for at least 7-15 days and in some cases for more than a month.
NGOs have to pay unauthorised money of Tk 20,000-Tk 50,000 and Tk 50,000-Tk 70,000 respectively to some officials in upazila and district administration offices to collect completion certificate for each project.
Moreover, NGOs are forced to pay money in the name of renovation of the district administration and UNO offices and donate to a local autistic school during approval.
In addition, some camp in-charges (CICs) are allegedly extorting money and demanding unofficial benefits such as airline tickets, transportation and hotel facilities for visiting relatives for giving approval or clearing the project.
Unauthorised money taken by NGOAB, CIC and DC office amounts to Tk 2,500-Tk 3,000 for assessing the relief amount, Tk 20,000-Tk 70,000 for project clearance certificate, Tk 250-Tk 300 for going out of the camp, Tk 10,000-Tk 20,000 primarily for human trafficking and Tk 0.15 million-Tk 0.2 million after reaching to the client, Tk 500-Tk 1,000 for special token for relief and Tk 2,000-Tk 3,000 for settlement of complaints.
Allegations of corruption and irregularities in the use of grants are rife as the government has no controlling and accountability structure for the UN agencies and their implementing partners.
There are allegations that UN agencies and their implementing partners do not proactively disclose their expenditure (operating expenses, program costs).
Although it is mandatory to allocate 25 per cent of the grants for the host community, it is not maintained, and also there is no guideline or structure on how to follow this rule.
The host community in Ukhiya and Teknaf upazilas has become the minority on its own land after hosting Rohingya people since 2017 and accounted for only 34.8 per cent of the total population.
Bangladesh has also been included in the list of food insecure countries due to Rohingya crisis. According to the report of 'Global Network Against Food Crisis' in 2019, the number of people at risk of food insecurity in Cox's Bazar is 1.3 million.
The prolonged stay poses a risk of spreading Rohingya inside Bangladesh. As of August 2019, a total of 59,176 Rohingyas were arrested from different districts whereas this number was only 690 in October 2017.
Moreover, due to lack of proper control and supervision of the government, 500 thousand Rohingyas are using mobile phone and are active in YouTube in their camps. This is likely to pose a security risk along with national interests.
The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (2019) estimated that the construction of Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar district resulted in the loss of about 6,164 acres of protected forestland worth around Tk 24.20 billion, as well as the loss of biodiversity worth Tk 14.09 billion.
In addition, crisis has negative impacts on the wildlife including obstruction of elephant trails.
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