Navigating Barriers: Access to Justice and Legal Protection for Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh
Keywords:
Rohingya refugees, Access to justice, Legal protection, Bangladesh, Legal barriers, refugee policy, and Advocacy.Abstract
The Rohingya refugee crisis is an immense humanitarian challenge in South Asia. More than one million Rohingya individuals from Myanmar currently reside in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, due to persecution and violence in their native country. Despite Bangladesh's considerable humanitarian gesture in offering sanctuary, the lack of a legal refugee protection system has impeded the Rohingyas' ability to seek justice. Protection of justice for these stateless Rohingya refugees entails many legal, institutional, and socio-political barriers. Ensuring access to justice for these stateless Rohingya refugees requires navigating complex legal, institutional, and socio-political barriers. This study examines the justice-seeking processes available to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, identifies the principal barriers to accessing these mechanisms, and evaluates the effectiveness of existing legal and policy frameworks. The study used a mixed-method approach, integrating qualitative interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs), and legal content analysis, revealing that structural discrimination, absence of legal identity, inadequate institutional capacity, and restrictive national laws substantially impede access to justice. The findings reaffirm the pressing need for policy reforms, legal empowerment efforts, and enhanced institutional collaboration across state agencies, NGOs, and other international organizations. The study suggests policy recommendations to incorporate access to justice into a comprehensive framework of human rights and sustainable solutions for the Rohingya refugee crisis in Bangladesh.
References
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54. Syahrin, M. A. (2018, July). The Rohingya Refugee Crisis: Legal Protection on International Law and Islamic Law. In 1st International Conference on Indonesian Legal Studies (ICILS 2018), Atlantis Press, 94-99.
55. Ullah, A. K. (2016). Rohingya Crisis in Myanmar: Seeking Justice for the "Stateless". Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, Vol. 32(3), 285-301.
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61. Wahab, A. A., & Khairi, A. (2020). Right to justice and legal aid barriers to the vulnerable non-citizens in Malaysia. Geografia- Malaysian Journal of Society and Space 16 issue 1 (13-23)16(1).
2. Ahamed, I. (2010a). The Plight of the Stateless Rohingyas, The University Press Ltd, Bangladesh, 69-77.
3. Ahsan Ullah, A. K. M. (2016). Rohingya crisis in Myanmar: Seeking justice for the “stateless”. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 32(3), 285-301.
4. Akhavan, P., Hamilton, R. J., & Mulvey, A. (2024). " What Kind of Court Is This?": Perceptions of International Justice Among Rohingya Refugees. Human Rights Quarterly, 46(2), 173-206.
5. Al Imran, H. F., & Mian, N. (2014). The Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh: A vulnerable group in law and policy. Journal of Studies in Social Sciences, 8(2).
6. Alam, J. (2021). The status and rights of the Rohingya as refugees under international refugee law: Challenges for a durable solution. Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, 19(2), 128-141.
7. Alam, M. J. (2018). The Rohingya minority of Myanmar: Surveying their status and protection in international law. international journal on minority and group rights, 25(2), 157-182.
8. Asadujjaman, M. (2025). Rohingya Communities’ Barrier to Obtain Legal Remedies through the Judicial System in Bangladesh: Legal Standing and Alternate Pathways. Khulna University Studies, 198-206.
9. Ashraf, A. A. (2021). Humanitarianism, national security, and the Rohingya refugee policy of Bangladesh. Strategic Analysis, 45(3), 184-206.
10. Azad, A., & Jasmin, F. (2013). Durable solutions to the protracted refugee situation: The case of Rohingyas in Bangladesh. Journal of Indian Research, 1(4), 25-35.
11. Begum, K. (2021). Accessibility of Justice for Intimate Partner Violence Victims in the Customary Court at Rohingya Refugee Camp, Bangladesh. Cultural and religious studies, 9(8), 378.
12. Betts, A., Bloom, L., Kaplan, J. D., & Omata, N. (2017). Refugee economies: Forced displacement and development. Oxford University Press.
13. Betts, A., Chaara, I., Omata, N., & Sterck, O. (2019). Refugee economies in Uganda: what difference does the self-reliance model make?. Refugee Studies Centre.
14. Bhatia, A., Mahmud, A., Fuller, A., Shin, R., Rahman, A., Shatil, T., ... & Balsari, S. (2018). The Rohingya in Cox’s Bazar: when the stateless seek refuge. Health and human rights, 20(2), 105.
15. Cappelletti, M., Garth, B., & Trocker, N. (1985). Access to Justice Variations and Continuity of a World-Wide Movement. Rev. Jur. UPR, 54, 221.
16. CEDAW. (1979). Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. United Nations.
17. Charlesworth, H., & Chinkin, C. (2013). The new United Nations “gender architecture”: a room with a view?. Max Planck Yearbook of United Nations Law Online, 17(1), 1-60.
18. Chimni, B. S. (2018). Global compact on refugees: One step forward, two steps back. International Journal of Refugee Law, 30(4), 630-634.
19. Chowdhury, M. A. A (2018). Challenges to the Protection of Refugee’s Rights in Bangladesh: In Search of a Comprehensive and Effective Legal and Institutional Frameworks. International Journal of Ethics in Social Sciences, 6 (1), 51-67.
20. Constitution of Bangladesh (1972). Article 27 and 31 http://bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd/sections_detail.php?id=367§ions_id=2457 9, retrieved 21 October 2021.
21. Cornwall, A., & Nyamu?Musembi, C. (2004). Putting the ‘rights?based approach’to development into perspective. Third world quarterly, 25(8), 1415-1437.
22. Fitria, M. A., & Susetyo, H. (2020, March). Protection of Legal and Human Rights for Uncitizenship Transit Refugees Under International Law and National Law (Rohingnya Refugee Case Study). In 3rd International Conference on Law and Governance (ICLAVE 2019) (pp. 183-188). Atlantis Press.
23. Golub, S. (2010). What is legal empowerment? An introduction. Legal empowerment: practitioners’ perspectives, 7.
24. Goodwin-Gill, G. S., & McAdam, J. (2021). The Refugee in International Law (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.
25. Goodwin-Gill, G. S., McAdam, J., & Dunlop, E. (2021). The refugee in international law. Oxford University Press.
26. Gorlick, B. (2022). Political-legal considerations of the Rohingya refugee situation: Seeking accountability, relief, and solutions. The Rohingya Crisis, 13-54.
27. Guhathakurta, M. (2017). Understanding violence, strategising protection: Perspectives from Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. Asian journal of social science, 45(6), 639-665.
28. Hammer, L., & Ahmed, S. (2020). Environmental responsibility and Rohingya refugees: potential grounds for justice. Local Environment, 25(11-12), 1021-1031.
29. Higgins, E. (2018). Transitional Justice for the Persecution of the Rohingya. Fordham Int'l LJ, 42, 101.
30. Human Rights Watch. (2021). “Are We Not Human?” Barriers to Justice for Rohingya Women and Girls in Bangladesh. HRW Report.
31. IRC (2019). Moving Beyond the Emergency: A Whole of Society Approach to the Rohingya Refugee Response in Bangladesh, https://www.rescue.org/report/moving-beyond-emergency-whole-societyapproach-refugee-response-bangladesh, retrieved 18 October 2021
32. Islam, M. R. (2025, July). An assessment on surging crime, gender violence, and justice mechanisms in the Rohingya camps in Bangladesh. In Women's Studies International Forum (Vol. 111, p. 103122). Pergamon.
33. Islam, M. S., & Mia, M. E. (2024). Navigating legal and humanitarian challenges regarding the Rohingya refugee crisis in Bangladesh. International Journal of Social Inquiry, 17(3), 467-491.
34. Islam, M. S., Muh?bbullah, M., & Ahmed, Z. (2024). Challenges in protecting Rohingya refugees: Pathways for international intervention. International Journal of Social Sciences and Education Research, 10(1), 12-21.
35. Islam, M. T., & Akter, N. (2022). Access to justice for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh: Challenges and prospects. Bangladesh Journal of Law and Society, 18(2), 45–68.
36. Karanja, J. (2020). Community-based legal empowerment in refugee settlements: Lessons from Uganda and Kenya. African Human Rights Law Journal, 20(2), 215–239.
37. Karanja, J. K. (2022). Concept of Justice That Shape the Uptake of Judicial Safeguards within Maslaha Processes in Garissa County, Kenya (Doctoral dissertation, Kenyatta University).
38. Karin, S. (2020). Status of Rohingya in refugee camps of Bangladesh: a review study. Open Access Library Journal, 7(09), 1.
39. Krehm, E., & Shahan, A. (2019, February). Access to justice for Rohingya and host community in Cox’s Bazar. The International Rescue Committee & Development Research Initiative. https://www.rescue.org/sites/default/files/document/3929/accessingjusticeassessmentexternalfinalsmall.pdf
40. Mahdi, S. (2018). The plight of Rohingya people in Bangladesh: Access to justice and human rights protection. Journal of Islamic Studies, 1(3), 41-55.
41. Merritt, C. (2017). Protection in Protracted Refugee Situations: The case of Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh. BRAC Institute of Governance and Development [Hg.]. Mohakhali: SK Centre. Verfügbar unter: https://bigd. bracu. ac. bd/images/for% 20website/Edited% 20paper% 20on, 20.
42. Mohammad, N. (2011). International refugee law standards: Rohingya refugee problems in Bangladesh. ISIL YB Int'l Human. & Refugee L., 11, 401.
43. Mohammad, N. (2012). Refugee Protection Under the Constitution of Bangladesh: A Brief Overview. Refugee Watch, 39, 141-156.
44. Noor, M. A. (2025). The Genesis of Rohingya Statelessness and Justice Pathways for Rohingya Refugees.
45. Nordby, L. (2018). Gender-based violence in the refugee camps in Cox Bazar:-A case study of Rohingya women’s and girls’ exposure to gender-based violence.
46. Nyamu-Musembi, C., & Cornwall, A. (2004). What is the" rights-based approach" all about?: perspectives from international development agencies.
47. Pereira, F., Olney, J., & Hoque, A. (2021). Community perspectives on access to civil justice after cross-border displacement: the needs of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, http://dspace.bracu.ac.bd/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10361/16309/Community-Perspectives-on-Access-to-Civil-Justice-in-Rohingya-Camps.pdf?sequence=1, retrieved 15 October 2025.
48. Putri, E. A., Wahyuni, W. S., Syaputra, M. Y. A., Paramesvari, A. J., & Pratama, G. A. (2023). Legal Protection of Rohingya Citizens Related to The Conflict in Myanmar. Jambura Law Review, 5(1), 60-75.
49. Rahman, H. (2025). Humanitarian Crisis and Legal Accountability: Bangladesh’s Role in the Rohingya Refugee Response. World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 28(01), 493-501.
50. Rahman, M. Z (2024). POLICING AND PROTECTION OF ROHINGYAS IN COX’S BAZAR CAMPS: EXPLORING SECURITY CHALLENGES AND EFFECTIVE POLICING. Asian Journal of Social Science and Management Technology, 6(6), 1-41.
51. Rahman, U. (2010). The Rohingya refugee: A security dilemma for Bangladesh. Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, 8(2), 233-239.
52. Sidhu, J. S. (2020). International responses to human rights violations in Myanmar: the case of the Rohingya. Journal of International Studies.
53. Sridhar Patnaik, D., & Ahmad Siddiqui, N. (2018). Problems of refugee protection in international law: An assessment through the Rohingya refugee crisis in India. Socio-Legal Rev., 14, 1.
54. Syahrin, M. A. (2018, July). The Rohingya Refugee Crisis: Legal Protection on International Law and Islamic Law. In 1st International Conference on Indonesian Legal Studies (ICILS 2018), Atlantis Press, 94-99.
55. Ullah, A. K. (2016). Rohingya Crisis in Myanmar: Seeking Justice for the "Stateless". Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, Vol. 32(3), 285-301.
56. UN General Assembly (1948). Universal Declaration of Human Rights. https://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/, retrieved 21 October 2021.
57. UN Women. (2023). Addressing GBV in fragile states: Lessons from Somaliland. https://www.unwomen.org/reports/somalilandgbv (Assumed URL)
58. UNDP, H. (2005). Programming for Justice: Access for All. A Practitioner’s Guide to a Human Rights-Based Approach to Access to Justice. Bangkok, Thailand: UNDP.
59. UNOHCHR (2018). Report of Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar 27 August 2018, https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/MyanmarFFM/Pages/Reportofth eMyanmarFFM.aspx, retrieved 21 October 2021.
60. Viga, E. (2024). The importance of community-based protection mechanisms for displaced populations in South Western Uganda.
61. Wahab, A. A., & Khairi, A. (2020). Right to justice and legal aid barriers to the vulnerable non-citizens in Malaysia. Geografia- Malaysian Journal of Society and Space 16 issue 1 (13-23)16(1).
Published
2026-04-17
How to Cite
Badsha Mia. (2026). Navigating Barriers: Access to Justice and Legal Protection for Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh. Daengku: Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Innovation, 6(1). Retrieved from https://jurnal.ahmar.id/index.php/daengku/article/view/4387
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