Displaced and Unheard: Humanitarian Aid, Statelessness, and the Rohingya Refugee Crisis in Bangladesh

Abstract

The Rohingya refugee crisis, now approaching its tenth year, represents one of the most protracted displacement situations in the world. Nearly one million Rohingya refugees reside in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar camps, where they face severe restrictions on freedom of movement, the right to work, and access to formal education. Despite billions of dollars in humanitarian aid, the situation remains unresolved, and the refugee population faces a future of uncertainty, statelessness, and dependency. This paper examines the effectiveness and limitations of the humanitarian aid response in the Rohingya refugee camps, with a particular focus on the intersection of aid architecture, statelessness, and the political economy of displacement. Drawing on interviews with refugees, humanitarian officials, and policy experts, as well as document analysis and on-the-ground observation, I argue that the current humanitarian framework is designed to manage displacement rather than to resolve it. Aid has been effective in sustaining life but has largely failed to create pathways to durable solutions—whether through return, local integration, or resettlement. The paper explores the role of the Bangladeshi government, international donors, and humanitarian agencies in shaping the aid response, and the ways in which statelessness has been perpetuated by the systems designed to provide protection. This research contributes to broader debates on aid effectiveness, humanitarian governance, and the political economy of displacement, and offers insights for policymakers and practitioners working in similar contexts globally.