This study aimed to acknowledge the impact of the crisis on the daily life of the local host community. In this study, FDMN makeshift, adjacent host communities were the focus to realize the severity of the impact. The study found that the influx created multidimensional impacts on the socio-economic, socio-cultural and political aspect of the daily life of the people of the host community.
There were enormous negative impacts of the influx on the local environment and agricultural activities. Understanding the findings gives us a vivid insight into the context of the humanitarian crisis (FDMN influx) and its impact on the host community. There were also huge negative impacts of the influx on the local environment and agriculture.
The aim of the study was to capture the impact of FDMN inflows on local economy, socio-culture and environment. This study was intended to go through the recent impact of the influx on host community in Ukhia and Teknaf sub-district (Upazila). In this study, FDMN makeshift, adjacent host community was in focus to realize the intensity of the impact.
The qualitative method attempted to capture the host community's perception of the impact of the influx through an intensive qualitative investigation using a variety of research tools.
Respondent selection and data collection tools
Matrix of research tools
Diversity of respondents from both host and FDMN community
Data were triangulated and cross-checked in both inter-instrument, inter-respondent and inter-method viewpoints. Maintaining the norms of intermethod triangulation qualitative data was triangulated with the numerical data. Qualitative data gained some power from a quantitative impression and also became worthy of examining the context and process of the impacts.
Data analysis and interpretation
Findings
Economic Aspects of the host community
During an FGD with housewives in the host community, one woman said, “Now every good is precious. Sometimes the price of rice, pulses and oil only remains low when the Rohingyas come to sell their aid in the village. This numerical impression would allow to map the mood of daily commodity price increases in the local market (Table 1).
It has been reported that a large number of Rohingya are looking for jobs in the host community. On the other hand, day laborers and their host community households were totally dependent on their daily wages. People also felt that the normal life of the host communities was greatly affected by the arrival of the Rohingya.
The livelihoods of the poor and extremely poor in the host communities are facing tremendous constraints as they lose their daily labor and the daily wages have been reduced from BDT 450 to BDT 200 due to the influx of the Rohingyas and their willingness to fight against low wages to work. This is a big challenge for the host community labor because their demand in the local market has decreased, especially in agriculture, salt field, earthwork, etc. Although NGOs have hired some literate youth from the host community, illiterates remain unemployed as NGOs and the government are then busy hiring Rohingyas in the camp.
The pro-poor families of the host community depended on collecting firewood from the forest and selling it in the market. Although the lack of firewood in the host community was a major concern, those who mainly depended on collecting and selling firewood from the nearby forests were now unemployed. After the arrival of new arrivals, FDMN families were given places in the forest to set up their tents through massive destruction of the natural and social forest.
A plantation project in the FDMN-occupied area was destroyed, and thousands of trees were felled by the influx. It was evident from the FGDs and IDIs with housewives and farmers in the host community that they are already facing a major problem in animal husbandry since the crisis started. My wife also raised chickens on the homestead, she had about eighty hens, but now only ten of them survived or lost".
Impact on Agriculture
- Impact on Cropping
- Impact on the conventional pattern of irrigation
- Impact border adjacent farmer
- Impact on fishery
Especially in the case of Raikhang village next to the Unchiprang FDMN camp, one of the natural spring water used for irrigation before the Rohingya influx, now supplies the Rohingya camp in Teknaf. As a result, the farmers in the local community did not get enough water for their farm cultivation. In addition, sewage entered the canal and polluted the water sources and also the agricultural land.
From both IDIs and FGDs one thing was seen that the struggle of the people of adjacent host communities was respectable in terms of some specific issues of the camp adjacent host community people. People of Anjumanpara village and Balukhali East in particular expressed their hardships during the influx. Border farmers of Balukhali East informed that they could not plant their paddy field this year for the crisis, they thought that a war might be fought between Bangladesh and Myanmar, and there was an uncertainty in their minds.
There was a sense of fear in their minds that they might have to move from the border. Anjumanpara is an adjoining border village and was a route of the influx of the FDMNs, a large number of FDMN coming in through the town. There was a dam next to the river which is very important for the 'fish projects' of the villagers.
During the influx, people first gathered on the dam and later crossed it like a stream. As a result, the villagers' vital dam was injured and also damaged in some places. The people of Anjumanpara were concerned about how to repair their dam because most of the households in the village live from shrimp farming and the dam was very necessary for their fisheries.
The residents of Anjumanpara village informed another question that they had lost some of their cattle due to a disturbance between Bangladesh and Myanmar border. During the riots, some of their cows and buffaloes crossed the border and they could not take them back from the border.
The livelihood of the fishermen dependent on the Naf River
Impact on Market
Price of commodities
Impact on local small business
Some new market scopes for the host community
Social and cultural aspect
- Reflection of the host community regarding the FDMN influx
- Host-community’s sensation on FDMNs’ involvement in the illegal network
- Host community perception about ’Rohingya’
- The sense of being a minority in the mind of the host community
- The concern of HC on socio-cultural aspect for social cohesion and coexistence with FDMNs
Host community people realized that FDMN's community is a backward community, so it is a challenge to live with such 'uncivilized' community. During the focus group, reservation host community people observed that their neighborhood had become overcrowded and the FDMN population was approximately three times the size of the host community population. A local UP member said, "Rohingyas did not have awareness of family planning, in future they will be more and it was also a threat to host community being a minority in a number of population in the area .
The Rohingyas were in a critical situation, they did not have an identity and they were in such a situation where they want to have access to the usual host community anyway. This situation can be manipulated by some bad people of the host community to promise crimes.” After the influx of the FDMN, the Buddhist ethnic minority group of the host community was in a sense of fear because the FDMNs (Rohingya Muslims) were persecuted by the Myanmar army and ethnic Rakhine Buddhists who were the majority in Rakhine State, Myanmar.
As a result, the Buddhist ethnic group of the host community perceived the FDMN as a threat to them. People from the host community perceived that the Rohingya language was similar to that of the host community, although their language and communication was more crude. Whatever the case, people from the host community perceived the influx of FDMN as interfering with their normal social life.
They expressed their dissatisfaction, noting that the tea stalls and markets were becoming overcrowded and that the seniors and respected citizens of the host community were not receiving due respect from the FDMNs. Child marriage and polygamy were common practices within the FDMN community, so the people of the host community feared that these would spread to their community. The idea among FDMNs was that if they could develop marital relationships with people from the host community, they would gain security and be able to blend into the host community.
During FGDs with host community people, some of the respondents informed that a number of FDMN women and girls were involved in prostitution. So they observed that there was a chance to derail the young generation of the host society. They also noticed that some of the local host people were becoming addicted, some were getting involved in extramarital affairs with FDMN girls and women.
Impact on the regular activities of local government at host community
Social Safety nets
The activity of Gram shalish (village court)
Environmental aspect
There was a canal in our village where we could catch prawns and could earn by selling this to fish owners, that was my livelihood. Host community people explained that they used to live in a calm, quiet and fresh environment. There was greenery everywhere, but now this area became overpopulated. They also noted that after this massive influx, the peace and quiet of the area had disappeared.
Suggestions to overcome sufferings of host communities
Findings from FDMN community
- The shelter-seeking pattern of the FDMN influx after 25 August 2017
- Perception about makeshift life
- Livelihood condition
- Engaging with small business
Some of them who had some skill in tailoring and suiting were trying to capitalize on their skills through some individual initiatives. One of the respondents from the teenage girl informed that she had rented a plaintiff's car and started taking orders from their neighbors. Some skilled people of the FDMN community started their livelihood in camp organization with little capital and social capital.
A person informed that he was doing business in Myanmar and often came to Bangladesh in Teknaf for his business purposes. He had a good relationship with the businessmen of Teknaf; now he can take the product on credit and run a shop in the camp. Another man who had skill in mobile phone repair started a mobile repair shop here in the camp with small capital.
One thing that emerged from almost all FGDs with adult men and women was that they were worried about their children's future. They thought that there was no school for their children, they could not learn in the camp.
Discussion
Conclusion
Recommendations
