Approximately 30,000 Rohingya refugees have fled persecution in Myanmar and sought refuge in India, settling mainly in urban slums across Haryana, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jammu, Jaipur, and Chennai. However, their plight in India mirrors the dire conditions they faced in Bangladesh, marked by poverty, exploitation, and insecurity.
Most Rohingya refugees in India live in overcrowded, makeshift shelters within marginalized urban areas, lacking basic sanitation, clean water, and access to healthcare. Without formal refugee status or legal protections, they remain vulnerable to exploitation, including bonded labor. Many find themselves at the mercy of traffickers or human smugglers who manipulate their desperation, trapping them in conditions akin to modern slavery. These traffickers often coerce refugees into unpaid or poorly paid labor in exchange for false promises of stability, safety, or documentation.
The lack of legal recognition and restricted access to education or formal employment further compounds their vulnerabilities, perpetuating a cycle of poverty and dependence. Rohingya children, too, are deeply affected, with many unable to access schools, leaving an entire generation at risk of being denied basic rights and opportunities.
Additionally, the refugees face growing hostility amid a political climate that often portrays them as security threats. Incidents of discrimination, harassment, and even detention have risen, adding to their precarity. Without significant intervention or support from the government or international humanitarian organizations, the Rohingya in India remain trapped in a dire situation, stripped of agency and basic dignity.
Urgent action is needed to address their vulnerabilities, provide legal protection, and ensure access to essential services. Strengthened regional cooperation and adherence to international human rights standards are critical to securing a future for the Rohingya refugees, breaking the cycle of exploitation and displacement they continue to endure.
Child sleeping in accomodation provided for 20 Rohingya families in a decommissioned cyclone shelter along the Indian Ocean. An estimated 15 to 20,000 Rohingya live in India. Chennai, India, June 2017
Urban Rohingya refugees in Shriram colony in Rajiv Naghar, New Delhi, India, January 2016
Father and son, Sharam Vihar makeshift camp for Rohingya refugees in the outskirts of New Delhi, India, January 2016
Medressa in Kunjankuh Rohingya camp in New Delhi, India, January 2016
Rohingya refugees listening to the news of ongoing ethnic cleansing campaigns back home in Myanmar. They fled in 2012 and found shelter ans safety in India. Kelembakkam in the State of Tamil Nadu, June 2017
Rohingya woman living with her family in a small rented room in Rajiv Naghar near New Delhi, India, January 2016
Rohingya girl, Balapur camp, Hyderabad, India, June 2016
Rohingya refugees living in a state of bonded labour, working until they can pay off their debts for having been smuggled into India. Faridabad in Haryana State, India, January 2016
Stateless Rohingya refugees stranded in Mewat, Haryana State, India, June 2016
Rohingya refugees surviving as waste collectors. Welcome Colony in Hasanpura neighborhood, Jaipur, India, June 2016
Child in a makeshift shelter hosting up to 8 families, Balapur camp, Hyderabad, India, June 2016
Rohingya resident of Shiram colony, since 2012 in India, Rajiv Naghar in the suburbs of New Delhi, India, January 2016
Urban Rohingya refugee, Hyderabad, India, June 2016
One hundred Rohingya refugees live in an abandonned cyclone shelter in Kelembakkam near Chennai in the Indian State of Tamil Nadu, India, June 2017
Rohingya girl dressed for Eid celebrations, Kunjankuh urban camp sheltering 210 Rohingya since 2013. Madanpur Khader area near Okhla in New Delhi agglomeration, India, June 2017
One of the entrances to a cyclone shelter used by 20 Rohingya families settled there for the past 3 years. Chennai, India, June 2017
Rohingya refugees living near Chennai in Southern India, Kelembakkam in the State of Tamil Nadu, June 2017
Rohingya refugees living in a state of bonded labour, working until they can pay off their debts for having been smuggled into India. Faridabad in Haryana State, India, January 2016
Rohingya refugee from Burma, Baba Nagar, Hyderabad, India, June 2016
Rohingya refugees from Burma, Hasanpura in Jaipur, India, June 2016
Rohingya family in Kajuri neighbourhood of New Delhi, India, January 2016
Rohingya family in Hasanpura neighborhood of Jaipur, India, June 2016.
Child sleeping, Mewat camps for stateless Rohingya from Burma. Nagli Nuh, Haryana, India, June 2016
Baba Nagar makeshift settlement for Rohingya refugees. Hyderabad, India, June 2016
Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, Hasanpura in Jaipur, India, June 2016
Rohingya refugee. Mewat camps, Haryana, India, June 2016
A Rohingya toddler living with her family in a decommissioned cyclone shelter after having fled from Myanmar in 2012. Kelembakkam near Chennai in Tamil Nadu State, India, June 2017
Rohingya girls dressed for Eid celebrations, Kunjankuh urban camp sheltering 210 Rohingya since 2013. Madanpur Khader area near Okhla in New Delhi agglomeration, India, June 2017
One hundred Rohingya refugees live in an abandonned cyclone shelter in Kelembakkam near Chennai in the Indian State of Tamil Nadu, India, June 2017
Makeshift camp for Rohingya refugees in Delhi suburbs, India, June 2017
Rohingya refugee from Burma, Hyderabad, India, June 2016
