Tough times for Delhi's Myanmar Chin refugees

Jesuit study reveals poverty, prejudice and exploitation.

New Delhi:  Chin refugees who fled to New Delhi from Myanmar to escape rights abuses committed by the military live in poverty and face discrimination, sexual harassment and exploitation, a new study has revealed.

“Chin refugees have been living in Delhi for the last 10 to 12 years. Their condition is far from satisfactory as far as their safety, financial security and education is concerned,” said Fr Joseph Xavier of the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) South Asia, which conducted the study.

The study, conducted in the Indian capital from January 2012 to October 2013, aimed to "give these people visibility, a face," Father Peter Belleis, the organization’s international director, told reporters at the launch of the report in the Indian capital on November 29.

Fr Belleis said more than 110,000 Chin have taken refuge in India. Most are in northeastern Mizoram state, but New Delhi is home to some 6,000. Few are registered with the UNHCR.

People in Delhi harass and discriminate against them, including in hospitals and schools, said Father Xavier.

“These people face exploitation at the hands of their employers as they lack training, an education and are unable to communicate because they don’t know the local language,” the Jesuit priest said.

Poverty, migration and discrimination in government schools force Chin children to drop out. Sometimes the children are physically abused, he said.

Most refugees work in restaurants, are laborers or are self-employed, which has a direct impact on their income and standard of living.

More than half, about 58 percent, have a monthly income of less than 5,000 rupees (US$80).

Van-laltan, a Chin refugee who has been living in Delhi for the last two years, said people are reluctant to talk to him.

“Women face sexual harassment in the workplace and on the streets, as ours is a very open society, and they dress the way they want which makes people think they are easy targets,” he said.

As for myself, “I have to work to support my family and I can only earn 3,500 rupees per month,” he added.

India is not a signatory to the 1951 UN convention on refugees, which means the UNHCR has to help support the Chin refugees.

The JRS in its report recommended the Indian government to sign the convention and adhere to a well-defined framework for refugees.

It also called on the UNHCR to conduct workshops and help coordinate efforts among NGOs to help improve quality of life for Chins in New Delhi.

More than 3.5 million people from Chin state in western Myanmar have fled or been displaced over the past four decades to escape ethnic, political and religious persecution.

Source: ucanews.com