DHAKA, Oct 9, 2019 (BSS) – The UK has announced 30m pound aid on top of
the Britain’s recent pledge of 87m pound for the Rohingyas to help with food,
health care, sanitation and counselling of sexual violence.
The announcement was made while the UK Government’s International
Development Minister Baroness Sugg visited Bangladesh last week, a press
release issued by the British High Commission here today.
During the visit, Sugg traveled a refugee registration centre to see
first-hand how registration helps safeguard the refugees’ right to
voluntarily return to Myanmar.
While announcing the additional support, the minister said the UK
government has now announced further support not only to help protect people
from violence and trafficking, but also help to improve their shelter in
readiness for the next monsoon season.
Sugg also visited a women-friendly space where women and girls can support
each other and access a range of social, mental health and psycho-social
support; as well as sexual and reproductive health services.
To understand the economic and environmental impact the Rohingya crisis is
having on the local communities, Baroness Sugg met with Bangladeshi women who
have organized self-help groups and received vocational and life-skills
training.
“The government and people of Bangladesh have shown great generosity and
humanity in hosting the Rohingya and I am proud the UK continues to stand
with them,” she said.
The visit took place after the United Kingdom made available an additional
87m pound contribution for the crisis, with over 20 m pound to support
economic development and mitigate the environmental impact in the wider Cox’s
Bazar district.
This brings the UK’s contribution from the start of the crisis in August
2017 to a total of 256m pound, said the release.
The British minister had also visited Myanmar where she highlighted the
message of the UK’s commitment to making sure the right conditions are put in
place in Rakhine to allow for voluntary returns, it added.