Rohingya refugees from the Arakan state of Myanmar found their ways a number of times to Bangladesh to escape state-sponsored persecution. While there is no dearth of studies on refugees, Rohingya has so far received very little research attention. This article tries to understand the dynamics and severity of reported humiliation by the government on the Rohingya population, and how are they marginalized in their destination points. A qualitatively and quantitatively designed questionnaire was used to interview 134 refugees from two existing camps in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses reinforce that the level of abuse and persecution perpetrated upon them surpass all human rights standards. This was confirmed by both the in-depth and the case studies. These people were forced out by state-sponsored persecution and again they are forced to be repatriated due to the fact that Bangladesh cannot afford to welcome them back.

This article argues that Rohingyas in Myanmar have been deliberately excluded by its government. The claims of the government and political leaders that Rohingyas are illegal migrants could no way be justified due to the clear fact that they have been a part of long history of Burma. Due to the exclusionary policies, this population group has been systematically marginalized, persecuted, deprived of basic rights, and abused. Available protection space for Rohingya refugees in the region has become extremely volatile due to the reluctance to sign the 1951 Convention and a lack of national legal frameworks in most southeast Asian countries. Despite political pressure from the international community and local activists groups calling for the government to stop the violence, there is no sign to end the violence.

Almost all countries in the world have now enforced coronavirus-related travel restrictions and border shutdowns. Migrant populations in the world are now considered the worst victims of COVID-19, and the spreaders too. This article aims to investigate the impacts that COVID-19 has on population migration. Informal interviews were conducted with the respondents who were stranded in different parts of the world via Skype and WhatsApp between February and November 2020. COVID-19 poses a threat to the millions who were caught between home and their final destinations – and are now living in overcrowded refugee camps where the terms ‘stay home’ ‘stay safe’ and ‘social distancing’ carries very little meaning.

People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) are stigmatized and looked at negatively by people at large. Stigma, discrimination, and prejudice extend its reach to people associated with HIV-positive people such as health providers, hospital staff, as well as family member and friends. Studies demonstrate that, in low-income countries, especially in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, health providers’ views toward the HIV-positive individuals is not very much different from the general population. The study has been qualitative in nature and conducted among health providers such as physicians and nurses attached to different hospitals. The study was conducted from March 2005 to May 2007. The study shows that 80% of the nurses and 90% of the physicians’ behavior with the HIV-positive individuals were discriminatory. They talk to their patients standing far from them. The interview revealed that the spouses of the physicians and nurses in charge of the HIV-positive individuals put pressure to stop serving the patient or even quit the job. The notion that HIV is only transmitted through sexual activities is prevalent among them. Interestingly, although the physicians know well about the routes of transmission, they do not believe it by heart. Therefore, their fear of being infected makes them discriminate against the HIV-positive individuals. HIV-related stigma remains a barrier to effectively fighting this pandemic. Fear of discrimination often prevents people from seeking treatment publicly. There are evidences that they were evicted from home by their families and rejected by their friends and colleagues. The stigma attached to HIV/AIDS can extend into the next generation, placing an emotional burden on them.

This paper examines the extent to which contemporary globalisation diminishes local culture to pose itself as a formidable threat to Southeast Asian cultural values. Southeast Asia is home to thousands of different ethnic peoples with their distinctive languages, cultures, mores and religious beliefs. These unique traits comprise their cultural heritage, which is passed down from generation to generation. However, the contemporary process of globalisation results in an intrusion into indigenous Southeast Asian cultures. In spite of the genuine fear of globalisation’s erosion of traditional lifestyles, cultural mores and religious beliefs, we argue that attempts to resist its negative implications have been inadequate with respect to Southeast Asian nations and peoples.

Women have traditionally been at disadvantage in many countries in the world, due partly to the strong patriarchal tradition which often impinges the rights of women. Hence women’s empowerment is a major concern in the developing world and is emerging as an important indicator of the development of a society as well as the status of women. This article examines the impact of husbands’ migration on the lives of ‘left-behind’ women. The purpose of this research is to investigate how the ‘left-behind’ women turned around in the absence of their husbands and eventually how did they end up being empowered financially, socially and politically. This research analyzes left-behind women’s empowerment through three broad dimensions: resources, agency and achievements, specifically women’s autonomy and control over their lives; financial issues, and women’s political and labour force participation. This research selected 53 women from five countries in MENA (Middle East and North Africa) (Yemen = 6; Jordan = 11; Iraq = 7; Morocco = 9; Egypt = 12; Indonesia = 8) (through snow-ball technique) whose husbands left their countries at least 6 years back. This study shows that the impact of male migration on the ‘left-behind’ women is complex to investigate. Change in gender role has occurred due to men’s migration irrespective of countries of origin. Entire responsibility of taking care of the welfare of left-behind siblings and children has been on the shoulders of the wives. This is, however, not to argue that migration of their counterparts rejuvenated their potential. I rather argue that they successfully used their potential to be leaders in absence of their husbands, meaning that they enjoyed the freedom to make decisions, and that freedom has contributed to their being empowered positively. They eventually have experienced change in their freedoms in terms of decision making, mobility and participation in political activities.