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Cox’s Bazar Update | July - September 2021

Countries
Bangladesh
+ 2 more
Sources
UN Women
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In this edition:

  • Thousands Displaced by Heavy Rains and Floods in Cox’s Bazar
  • Women Police Deployed in Camps Handling Gender- sensitive Cases
  • The Second Chance Education Programme is Transforming the Lives of Women in Cox’s Bazar
  • Australia Proudly Supports Women Police Helpdesk
  • Partners Learned How to Respond to Counter-trafficking Cases
    and more...

Thousands Displaced by Heavy Rains and Floods in Cox’s Bazar

Over 300mm of rain fell in 24 hours on July 26 in Cox’s Bazar, a district hosting more than 800,000 Rohingya refugees. That is nearly half the monthly rainfall average for July in one day. This heavy monsoon rain washed away sprawling Rohingya refugee camps, turning the settlements into fast-flowing rivers overnight. Many shelters were damaged and waterlogged. Huge floods in low-lying areas and landslides in lofty places were reported. According to the Inter-Sector Coordination Group report, 21,606 refugees were affected, while an estimated 3,851 shelters were destroyed, 13,432 displaced, and 6 fatalities were confirmed.

Community members were the first responders to the emergency. UN Women joined other Humanitarian actors in Cox’s Bazar to support most affected community members. UN Women immediately mobilized women leaders to be at the frontline of the response, including sharing flash updates on the on-ground situation. Women leaders evacuated affected community members to Multi-Purpose Women’s Centers (MPWCs) that were immediately converted into emergency shelters and hosted around 200 women and girls, men, boys and children and provided them with basic needs including food, beverages and sleeping materials. UN Women's emergency support was extended to house-to-house visits with catering and other emergency support, including referrals of injured people to medical facilities. (Continue)