Bangladesh eyes sterilisation to curb Rohingya population

This is the best tl;dr I could make, original reduced by 72%. (I'm a bot)

PALONGKHALI: Bangladesh is planning to introduce voluntary sterilisation in its overcrowded Rohingya camps, where nearly a million refugees are fighting for space, after efforts to encourage birth control failed.

More than 600,000 Rohingya have arrived in Bangladesh since a military crackdown in neighbouring Myanmar in August triggered an exodus, straining resources in the impoverished country.

The widespread perception that the Rohingya population is mushrooming is a key source of the tensions that have spiralled in recent months.

Many of the ethnic Rakhine Buddhists accused of taking part in attacks on Rohingya villages that have driven hundreds of thousands into Bangladesh say they fear being displaced by the Muslim minority.

Rights activists working in the camps in Bangladesh said some believed pregnancy provided protection against rape or other attacks in Myanmar, where the military has been accused of sexual violence against Rohingya women and girls.

"Some of them told us that if a woman was pregnant, she had less chance of being targeted by the military or attackers." Bangladesh officials say some 20,000 Rohingya women are pregnant and 600 have given birth since arriving in Bangladesh, though this may be an underestimate as many births take place with no formal medical help.

Summary Source | FAQ | Feedback | Top keywords: Rohingya^#1 birth^#2 family^#3 Myanmar^#4 Bangladesh^#5

Post found in /r/worldnews and /r/indianews.

NOTICE: This thread is for discussing the submission topic. Please do not discuss the concept of the autotldr bot here.