Turkish aid group offers education to Rohingya children

A Turkish aid agency has opened a learning center for children at a refugee camp in Bangladesh where Rohingya Muslims took shelter after fleeing Myanmar's Rakhine State.

In a written statement, Sadakataşı Foundation, an Istanbul-based non-governmental organization, said it opened "DNA Digital Education Center" at the Mainnerghona camp which is currently hosting at least 22,000 Rohingya refugees.

Two teachers will provide education at the learning center which was made from bamboo to withstand heat and humid climate of the region.

Foundation head Kemal Özdal, cited in the statement, drew attention to the overloaded refugee camps, saying that the education is one of the biggest problems in the camps in Bangladesh.

"We are happy to open our 8th school for Rohingya children," Özdal added.

Since Aug. 25, 2017, more than 24,000 Rohingya Muslims have been killed by Myanmar’s state forces, according to the Ontario International Development Agency (OIDA).

In a report, "Forced Migration of Rohingya: The Untold Experience", the OIDA increased the estimated number of murdered Rohingya to 23,962 (±881) from an earlier Doctors Without Borders figure of 9,400.

More than 34,000 Rohingya were also thrown into fires, while over 114,000 others were beaten, the OIDA report said, adding that 17,718 (±780) Rohingya women and girls were raped by the Myanmar army and police.

More than 115,000 Rohingya houses were burned and 113,000 others were vandalized, it added.

According to Amnesty International, more than 750,000 Rohingya refugees, mostly children, and women have fled Myanmar and crossed into Bangladesh after Myanmar forces launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community.

The Rohingya, described by the UN as the world's most persecuted people, have faced heightened fears of attack since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012.

The UN documented mass gang rapes, killings -- including of infants and young children -- brutal beatings, and disappearances committed by Myanmar state forces. In its report, UN investigators said such violations may have constituted crimes against humanity.