Fearing repatriation to their homeland, the illegal Rohingya refugees in the national Capital are making all out efforts to marry off their young girls to Indian men as they think that this may prevent their daughters from being deported and would thus save them from being subjected to atrocities like “rape” and “murder” back home in Myanmar.
A Rohingya woman in her late thirties living in a refugee settlement at Shram Vihar near Okhla told The Pioneer, “India is considered a safe country by the refugees as here they don’t have to face the situation similar to what prevails in their homeland.”
Not willing to be identified, the woman said many families, including her own, are trying their best to find suitable matches for their daughters among the Indian Muslims although she admitted that it’s not an easy task as even the poor among the Indian Muslims “look down” upon refugees and don’t want to enter into matrimonial alliance with them.
While she said it is “Ok” with most of the refugee families even if their daughters are married to someone already married as finding an eligible groom as match for Rohingya girls is next to impossible.
“Indian Muslim community usually avoids marrying Rohingya girls fearing ‘victimisation’ by the community and even authorities,” she said.
Fearing being rounded up for deportation, many of them have already started migrating to other States that they consider safe.
Another Rohingya woman said many of the refugee women work as domestic helps in the localities nearby by hiding their real identities and they pose as settlers from States like West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh.
She admitted that this not only helps them easily getting job at houses but also in gaining trust and confidence of locals with whom they want to marry off their daughters.
However, refugees expressed their disappointment with the local Muslim community as they were not of much help to them except in the month of Ramzan when they get “zakat”. Most of the refugees do menial jobs for their sustenance. Many of them even went up to the extent of breathing their last in India rather than being deported back home.
Rohingya refugee Mohammad Osman said, “I would prefer dying on road coming under a moving vehicle rather than being sent back to “Burma”.
They recalled that thousands have fled Myanmar over the years due to “religious persecution” and “annihilation” and are in no mood to leave India. An elderly said those who migrate to other State find job as a labourer while women do household chores or work as maids. At the Shram Vihar refugee camp, which was established in 2014, there are about 82 families with a population of about 400 who live in deplorable condition.
The Rohingya refugees alleged that they have to pay Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 per shanty as per its area to a person only after which they allow them to stay on the land.
Octogenarian Dil Mohammad showed his United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) card and said many refugees have “Aadhaar” card, “PAN” card and also driving licence (DL) but none have the voter I-card. However, another man on condition of anonymity said some refugees have illegally managed to get the voter I-card.
“We were assured by the UNHCR representative that they will pay half of our rent but it has been two years and they haven’t paid a “penny”. We also have to pay inflated electricity bill to a middleman who then submits it on our behalf. We have come to know that till now he too has not paid the bill of last 8 months following which there is a due amount of more than Rs 70,000 for pocket of 21 families,” said Osman.
While the UNHCR has given these refugees an identity card having a reference number and mention of “country of origin” as Myanmar. According to the UNHCR, the refugees having UNHCR card are protected from arbitrary detention or forcible return to her/his country or to any other country where she/he would face threats to his/her life or freedom.
