A/HRC/42/CRP.5
inherent distrust arises from a variety of factors, including a long history of cancellation or
replacement of previous cards with new cards for Rohingya.140
84.
The Rohingya perceive the NVC as a tool of suppression that adversely affects
nearly every aspect of their lives and erodes their fundamental freedoms, including their
right to an identity, as it does not allow them to identify as Rohingya. 141 Rohingya in
Myanmar, Bangladesh, Malaysia and other parts of the region have consistently shared
concerns with the Mission over the NVC and the associated process, and it has been cited
as one of the main factors leading to their decision to leave the country and not return. 142
85.
The NVC application form gives Rohingya no other option than to identify as
“Bengali”. The Government’s apparent attempt to address this issue was to remove
references to religion and ethnicity in an updated NVC sometime last year. However, the
NVC application form still includes this specification, which renders the process deeply
inadequate. The NVC application form is completed by the authorities, who record
“Bengali” under ethnicity.143
140
141
142
143
Oral update of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on situation of human rights of Rohingya
people, 3 July 2018, A/HRC/38/CRP.2, paras. 472-476.
UNHCR, Study on Community Perceptions of Citizenship, Documentation and Rights in Rakhine
State, UNHCR, August 2016, p.11, available from
https://themimu.info/sites/themimu.info/files/assessment_file_attachments/Community_Perceptions_
FINAL.PDF.
CI-228, CI-229, FI-038, FI-046, FM-003.
FFFGEN-1-84278, CI-301, CI-303, FI-052, FI-053.
27
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