Rohingya refugees sue Facebook: Here’s all you need to know about this crisis

Myanmar’s Rohingya refugees are suing Facebook (now known as Meta Platforms Inc) for $150 billion, accusing the social media platform for turning a blind eye towards hate speech directed and related to them on their platform. Rohingya also claim that Facebook was enabling as well as amplifying violence against this persecuted minority, and failed to monitor such content. This is a US class-action lawsuit filed in California, which led Facebook to release a statement clarifying its stand against hate speech and discrimination towards the Rohingya refugees. But what really is the Rohingya crisis and why is it so important in modern politics? Here is all you need to know about it. 

Who are Rohingyas? 
The Rohingya are a Muslim ethnic minority who have called Burma (present-day Myanmar) their home for centuries. However, the predominantly Buddhist country does not recognise this minority as an official ethnic group even though the Rohingyas have resided there for multiple generations. This group has been denied Burmese citizenship too, which has left them with the title of ‘stateless population’ since the 1980s. As a result, they are denied basic human rights and remain vulnerable to exploitation and violence. The Burmese government received international condemnation for this, with this situation being critically discussed at the United Nations. 

What led to the Rohingya refugee crisis? 
For many decades, the Rohingya Muslims did not receive basic human rights protection internally or externally. They suffered through different kinds of violence, discrimination and have also been severely persecuted. However, this situation catapulted even further in the August of 2017 which witnessed their largest exodus. They were forced to seek refuge in the neighbouring country of Bangladesh when violent clashes broke out in the Rakhine State of Burma, with entire villages being burned. More than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims had to leave their country with families being separated. It is estimated that close to half of those who fled were children. 

Where are the Rohingya now? 
Most of the Rohingya asylum seekers sought refuge in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazaar region, where multiple refugee camps were set up. Many had also arrived at these camps prior to 2017 after fleeing Myanmar. Camps were also set up in other neighbouring countries like Thailand, India, Indonesia, Nepal, etc.