Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh

Almost 1 million Rohingya refugees live in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh – the largest refugee camp in the world – having fled persecution, widespread violence and human rights violations in Myanmar. 

Conditions in Cox’s Bazar are difficult. Many of the refugees live in overcrowded, temporary shelters that offer little privacy and bring increased risks of violence, sexual exploitation and abuse for women and girls. Basic services are also stretched to their limits in the camp network. Many Rohingya refugees are entirely dependent on humanitarian assistance.

Bangladesh is also prone to natural disasters, and refugees in Cox’s Bazar have been exposed to fires, cyclones, floods and landslides, including the devastating Cyclone Mocha in May 2023. These kinds of climate crises are likely to escalate in frequency and intensity over time.

UNFPA is supporting the Government of Bangladesh to provide integrated life-saving reproductive health and gender-based violence services to women and girls in Cox’s Bazar and host communities. This includes deploying midwives and maternal and newborn specialists to health facilities, as well as supporting a network of community workers who raise awareness about available services at health centres, in communities, and at women and girl friendly spaces. These services include maternal and child health care and family planning.

UNFPA also supports a network of safe spaces for women and girls that provide gender-based-violence prevention and response services, as well as referrals and life-skills education to protect and empower the camp’s large youth population.

Updated on 24 January 2024