MUHAMMAD FARHAN BIN OSMAN | IMPUISSANT
IMPUISSANT is a photo essay that represents the reality of Rohingya women and girls in the refugee camps. In August 2017, violence erupted in Rakhine State in Myanmar, targeting the Rohingya people, a stateless Muslim minority.
More than half a million people fled to Bangladesh, triggering one of the fastest-growing humanitarian crises in the world.
An estimated 700,000 Rohingya has been driven into Bangladesh as of June 2018. Over half of them are women and children.
I specifically used photography as a medium to transcend more than just sensitivity and emotions, but also to capture moments from a first-hand perspective. The living conditions in the camps are not something that these women should be facing. Despite having crossed the border, many of them are alone with their children, Rohingya women and girls face additional challenges: insecurity, violence, minimal mobility or ability to speak up and influence decisions in their communities.
I specifically used photography as a medium to transcend more than just sensitivity and emotions, but also to capture moments from a first-hand perspective.”
With many women and girls on lockdown, increasing gender-based violence (GBV) –especially intimate partner violence, sexual exploitation, and other abuse –is anticipated. They came from a helpless situation, and the lockdown is making them feel even more helpless. The vast majority of all reports of GBV in the Rohingya refugee camps in 2019 were made by women. The incidents generally occurred in the home of either the survivor or the perpetrator.
In either case, other family members are typically present at home, which points to another layer of threat: the psychological impact on children and adolescents, who often witness the violence.
With this special issue dedicated to Human Rights and Social Issues, I hope that my photo documentation works will be an eye-opener to the reality of what the women and girls are going through.
MUHAMMAD FARHAN BIN OSMAN
MUHAMMAD FARHAN BIN OSMAN is a Singapore based, independent, award-winning documentary photographer. He specializes in raw photojournalism. He is traveling and learning other cultures is also how he searches for his inspirations. Actively documenting social issues, refugee camps, and post-disaster areas. Black and white photography is his forte, and he still occasionally shoots in color.
