Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) action they are taking, and (2) funding they are designating, to protect Rohingya women in refugee camps with specific reference to (a) improving lighting for safety, (b) toilets and washrooms that provide privacy, and (c) special assistance for the most vulnerable.
Answered by Lord Bates
DFID is supporting a range of organisations providing specialised help to women amongst Rohingya refugees and host communities in Bangladesh. A third of our latest £70m allocation will be spent on protection services including services for women and girls, and sexual and reproductive health. This includes funding for women’s centres, emergency nutrition and midwifery care to pregnant women, and support for survivors of gender based violence. Our funding is improving lighting for safety in the camps. We are supporting provision of women friendly spaces that include toilets and washrooms with privacy. We are also providing psychosocial first aid to vulnerable adults and adolescents to ease trauma, and child friendly spaces.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure the participation and leadership of Rohingya people of all ages and genders in programmes intended to safeguard women in the refugee community in Cox's Bazar.
Answered by Lord Bates
The UK recognises that Rohingya communities need empowerment, leadership and influence within camps in Cox’s Bazar. The UK ensures that our partners work alongside the refugee community when implementing programmes and has funded coordination work between partners on communicating with refugees, including ensuring that the voices of girls and women are included.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to assist local organisations with expertise on gender issues in their contribution to the safety and well-being of Rohingya women refugees.
Answered by Lord Bates
The UK is leading the way in supporting a range of organisations providing specialised help to women and survivors of sexual violence in Bangladesh. DFID funds the UNFPA and UNHCR who have local implementing partners, such as Brac and Mukti, who provide access to sexual and reproductive health care and support for survivors of gender-based violence for over 200,000 refugees. DFID works with UN agencies to incorporate refugee feedback and voice in the humanitarian response. The UK recognises the importance of including Rohingya leadership, especially women, in the humanitarian response and discussions on the future of the Rohingya people.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure that the schools for Palestinian children operated by United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees can continue their work throughout the coming academic year.
Answered by Lord Bates
The UK is committed to ensuring that the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) continues to deliver a high-quality education to over 500,000 children across the region. The UK has announced £17 million of funding over the past four months, in addition to our original budget of £28.5 million, to protect UNRWA’s vital services, including education. We continue to work with international partners to help unlock further funding for UNRWA.