A plea for one of the most persecuted groups in the world
On Thursday 12th June, Cosatu House in partnership with the Protect Rohingya organisation hosted a workshop on the persecution of the Rohingya people. The workshop was facilitated by Advocate Shabnam Mayet and David P Karmes who have both been very influential in raising awareness about the plight of the world’s most persecuted ethnic minority, alongside the Free Burma Campaign, South Africa who have been building solidarity for many years.
The workshop highlighted that the Rohingya people are an embattled ethnic group that have fallen victim to the Burmese Government’s ethnic cleansing campaign. While ethnic violence is not new to the Rohingya, the recent level of intensity and persecution has led the United Nations to label them one of the most persecuted groups in the world today.
The workshop encouraged all individuals to contact their organizations, political affiliations, members of parliaments, ministers and officials to show solidarity and concern for the well being of the Rohingya people as well as sign petitions, donate, fundraise and raise awareness in order to prevent what seems to be nearing a genocide.
The strong connections between the ACTION Support Centre and our sister organisation the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies in Cambodia, who are actively involved in support of the peace processes in Myanmar, and in working alongside several Burmese civil society groups, makes this initiative all the more relevant to the long term transformation agenda of the ACTION Support Centre.
Photo Credits: Photograph by UNHCR/ACNUR Américas licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0