Crossing Borders: The Lived Experience of Displaced Rohingya Women

My paper examines the effects of migration and displacement on women from the Rohingya Muslim community. Beginning in August 2017, the migration of Rohingyas from Myanmar to Bangladesh resulted in the creation of one of the largest stateless populations in the modern world. My research offers insight into this global humanitarian crisis by examining the experiences of young Rohingya women crossing the border of Myanmar and Bangladesh. By drawing on testimonies about lived experiences, I analyze the effects of migration on women’s traditional gender roles. The research for this paper is based on interviews conducted with young Rohingya Muslim women in the Kutupalong Rohingya Camp in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar area. Further, my project examines how lived experiences of migration continue to shape the challenges faced by young Rohingya women in the Kutupalong Camp. My project is interested in how these incidents of crossing borders transform the social identities of young Rohingya women.