Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of the recommendations on page 13 of the report entitled, The Shadow Pandemic: Gender-Based Violence among Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar, published in May 2020; and if she will hold discussions with (a) the Government of Bangladesh and (b) NGOs on improving the site-management of refugee camps.

The International Rescue Committee’s report clearly highlights that despite the tireless efforts of the Government of Bangladesh and international response to scale up humanitarian assistance, women and girls continue to live with the threat of gender-based violence (GBV). We share the report’s assessment that these risks are likely to be compounded by the spread of COVID-19 and steps taken to mitigate the virus. GBV remains a major concern that requires a multi-pronged approach. This is reflected in the priorities and funding appeal of the UN-led Joint Response Plan 2020, and the complementary COVID-19 response planning.

DFID regularly engages with the Office of the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commission, humanitarian NGO partners and the Site Management and Development sector group to discuss how site management can be improved. This includes supporting decision-making based on community feedback and particularly the views of women and girls. This has included spotting and rectifying problems such as non-functional street lights. DFID has funded the installation of more than 29,500 street lights in the camps and host communities since 2017. Protection focal points are also embedded in the Site Management and Development sector to ensure protection issues such as GBV are taken into account.