Thesis Format
Integrated Article
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
Program
Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies
Collaborative Specialization
Transitional Justice and Post-Conflict Reconstruction
Supervisor
Baruah, Bipasha
2nd Supervisor
Grzyb, Amanda
Co-Supervisor
Abstract
Canada introduced the Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP) in 2017 to support and empower women and girls affected by violent conflicts worldwide. Canada’s feminist approach to humanitarian engagement is a commitment to addressing sexual gender-based violence, one of the most severe and pervasive forms of human rights violations during conflicts, through advocacy and financial investment. Following Myanmar’s brutal persecution of the Rohingya Muslims in August 2017, Canada, like many other countries, provided humanitarian relief. In 2018, Canada introduced the first Rohingya Response Strategy for Myanmar and Bangladesh, committing C$300 million to international assistance until 2021. The Canadian government renewed the strategy for a second time in 2021 until 2024, committing an additional C$288.3 million. Canada’s humanitarian assistance for the Rohingya in Bangladesh has provided life-saving services, including food, shelter, sexual and reproductive health services, and psychological support for women and girls who experienced sexual violence at the hands of the Myanmar military. To meet the long-term needs of the Rohingya in Bangladesh, the Canadian government has also supported education and skill-building projects. My research builds on the central question: How is Canada supporting the needs of Rohingya sexual violence survivors through its humanitarian assistance programming in Bangladesh? I use gender mainstreaming as a theoretical framework and use thematic analysis to analyze the qualitative data collected from interviews with key informants. I triangulate them with the existing literature to answer my research question. My findings indicate that for its humanitarian programming to support Rohingya sexual violence survivors effectively, Canada needs to go beyond the “one-size-fits-all” approach. To do so, the Canadian government must consider the context-specific needs of women and girls. My findings also indicate that Canada needs to start advocating for the needs of male sexual violence survivors, who are often overlooked in global humanitarian response. My findings reinforce that Canada needs to integrate the expertise of grassroots organizations and the voices of women and girls to ensure a more inclusive, efficient, and sustainable response to the Rohingya crisis. My findings are expected to lead to a broader conversation within the Canadian government to design policies that contribute to long-term and sustainable solutions to address the needs of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence globally.
Summary for Lay Audience
In 2017, the Myanmar military expelled members of the ethnic Rohingya Muslim minority from the country. Myanmar’s violence against the Rohingya resulted in widespread human rights violations, including mass rapes of women and girls. The violence forced 700,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh. At present, almost one million Rohingya live in overcrowded refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, a coastal town in Bangladesh. As the Government of Bangladesh navigated hosting the displaced Rohingya, Canada, along with the UK, USA, and Norway, responded with urgent humanitarian assistance. Canada’s humanitarian engagement with the Rohingya has taken the form of a two-phase Rohingya Response Strategy. Introduced in 2018, the first phase lasted until 2021, with C$300 million in international assistance from the Canadian government. In 2021, the Canadian government renewed the strategy for a second time with another financial commitment of C$288.3 million in international assistance. In Bangladesh, Canada has supported projects implemented by various international and local humanitarian organizations in sectors related to food and nutrition, shelter-building, and psychological and sexual reproductive health care for Rohingya women and girls. This dissertation explores the strengths and limitations of Canada’s Rohingya Response Strategy in Bangladesh, particularly in supporting the needs of sexual violence survivors. I interviewed Global Affairs Canada (GAC) staff based in Ottawa and the Canadian High Commission (CHC) in Dhaka to understand their experiences of providing humanitarian assistance to Rohingya refugees. Apart from GAC staff, I interviewed international and local humanitarian practitioners, including NGO staff in Cox’s Bazar, to document and understand their experiences of working with the Rohingya refugees. My findings indicate that for its humanitarian programming to support Rohingya sexual violence survivors effectively, Canada needs to go beyond the “one-size-fits-all” approach. To do so, the Canadian government must consider the context-specific needs of women and girls. My findings also indicate that Canada needs to start advocating for the needs of male sexual violence survivors, who are often overlooked in global humanitarian response. My findings reinforce that Canada needs to integrate the expertise of grassroots organizations and the voices of women and girls to ensure a more inclusive, efficient, and sustainable response to the Rohingya crisis.
Recommended Citation
Banerjee, Deeplina, "How are Canada’s Humanitarian Policies Supporting Rohingya Sexual Violence Survivors?: Reflections of Canadian Government and NGO Workers" (2024). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 10523.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/10523
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.