A/HRC/31/71 37. In recent years, significant national and international attention has been drawn to the situation in Rakhine State. Little attempt has been made, however, to address structurally the serious human rights concerns on the ground. Rakhine is the second poorest State in Myanmar, and faces long-standing social and economic development challenges that affect all communities. Challenges include malnutrition, low-income poverty and weak infrastructure, compounded by natural hazards. 5 Almost four years after the first outbreak of violence in 2012, there are still some 140,000 internally displaced persons in Rakhine State, the majority of whom are Muslim. It is crucial that human rights be placed at the centre of all humanitarian and development responses if sustainable peace and reconciliation are to be achieved. 38. The Special Rapporteur is fully aware of the magnitude and complexity of the issues in Rakhine and their highly politicized nature. The activities of ultra-nationalist political parties and religious movements have helped to fuel tensions and polarize communities. At the same time, positive forces are also at play. Many actors are working tirelessly to promote interfaith dialogue and harmony and to build bridges and trust between communities. Their approach will, however, unfortunately be limited as long as the deeper structural and legal issues remain unaddressed. In recent months, a number of new reports and articles have once again highlighted alleged widespread and systematic human rights violations faced by the Rohingya for decades, and called for international action. 39. The Special Rapporteur calls upon the new Government to take immediate steps to put an end to the highly discriminatory policies and practices against the Rohingya and other Muslim communities in Rakhine. In practice, these policies deny the affected population some of their most fundamental rights. Of particular importance is the need to restore freedom of movement for all, which in turn could facilitate the process of return and reintegration of communities. Ongoing discriminatory restrictions to freedom of movement are largely used to control the Rohingya population; as a consequence, movement is restricted within and between townships, and people must obtain specific authorization to travel outside Rakhine State. These restrictions severely affect all aspects of their life, including access to livelihood, and hamper interactions between the Rakhine and Muslim communities. Without progress on this key issue, it will not be possible to address many of the other human rights concerns in Rakhine. Local orders in northern Rakhine State require Rohingya to obtain permission to marry, and attempt to limit couples to two children; any child born beyond that limit risks not being included in the family household list and remaining unregistered, a status that has a multitude of consequences for the child. As all children have the right to be registered at birth, the Special Rapporteur calls upon the Government to take steps towards ensuring universal birth registration in Rakhine, regardless of the child’s or the child’s parents’ nationality, statelessness or legal status (see A/HRC/31/29; see also CRC/C/MMR/CO/3-4, para. 44). 40. The Special Rapporteur continues to receive reports of cases of preventable deaths due to lack of access to emergency medical treatment. She is particularly concerned about patients in need of emergency treatment outside Sittwe who are required to travel to Sittwe General Hospital to receive treatment owing to restrictions on their freedom of movement. In certain locations, this trip can take up to several hours and has reportedly led to preventable deaths. The Special Rapporteur calls upon the Government to uphold the right to health of the entire population in Rakhine and to ensure equal access and medical treatment to all in public health facilities, irrespective of religion, ethnicity or citizenship. 41. In northern Rakhine, arbitrary arrests and detention continue to be reported. Some cases appear linked to extortion, given that detainees are often released following the 5 See Center for Diversity and National Harmony, Rakhine State Needs Assessment, September 2015. 9