Amnesty holds art exhibition showcasing artwork by Rohingya children

Amnesty International will launch "When I Grow Up" - a five-day exhibition of selected works of art by 160 Rohingya children marking the World Refugee Day at Exhibition Space of EMK Centre in Dhanmondi, Dhaka from Thursday.

The exhibition, supported by Unicef and EMK Centre, is the outcome of a two-day art camp in Cox's Bazar with the Rohingya children, who with the help of six cartoonists, sketched their aspirations about what they wish to be when they grow up.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam will be present as chief guest at the event. 

The art camp and exhibition are part of Amnesty International's campaign to increase local and international support for the education of Rohingya children, that follows an accredited curriculum that would be globally acceptable, so that the children can practically apply the knowledge they acquire in different settings.

"Childhood is the most formative period in the life of a person. We all have a responsibility to afford these children the opportunity to chase their dreams," said Saad Hammadi, South Asia Campaigner at Amnesty International.

"We have seen that many Rohingya children wish to become teachers and doctors based on very practical needs that they have experienced in the camps. Many have shared about disease outbreaks that doctors have helped prevent in the camps and they wish to help others when they grow up," he added.

Close to one third of the over 300,000 children aged 4-14 do not have access to education and the remainder have access to informal education. UNICEF together with the education sector, introduced the Learning Competency Framework and Approach (LCFA) in January 2019 to provide more structured learning in the refugee camps with a view to match international standards with formal school grades. 

However, restrictions on the use of the national curriculum in Bangladesh means that Rohingya children’s education will continue to be informal for now, without approval of an accredited curriculum. 

Representatives of foreign missions, donor and UN agencies will attend the event.