Several unaccompanied children among Rohingya refugees in Sri Lanka

Several unaccompanied children are among the Rohingya refugees who were rescued in Sri Lankan waters and brought ashore recently, the International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said. 

Following a field assessment by the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS)/International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) team, it has been confirmed that the Sri Lanka Navy had received 105 displaced people from Rakhine, Myanmar, including 49 children (21 girls, 28 boys) and 56 adults (26 females, 30 males).

Furthermore, 21 unaccompanied children (8 boys, 13 girls) and 1 elderly person (68 years) were identified among the arrivals, but no person with disability (PWD) was identified.

Due to their deteriorating health, three of the arrivals (2 children, 1 woman) were admitted to hospital. The language barrier has been identified as the most significant barrier to communicating with the displaced people in order to comprehend the situation.

A total of 22 children, including all unaccompanied children, are housed at the immigration detention camp at Welisara in the Gampaha district.

UNHCR plans to rent out two residences so that women and children can be relocated to a better shelter from their current location as soon as possible. The remaining people are housed at the Mirihana detention camp.

Several boats reportedly set off from Bangladesh between 25-27 November 2022, carrying displaced people from Rakhine, Myanmar. Based on previous movements and established routes, it is assumed that the intended destination was either Malaysia or Indonesia. (Colombo Gazette)