Rohingya children are world's responsibility: Priyanka

DHAKA, May 24, 2018 (BSS) - Global Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra, also the Unicef Goodwill Ambassador, today said world community needs to care and take action for resolving Rohingya crisis, especially protecting thousands of Rohingya children who are being deprived of normal life.

"We have to care. The whole world has to care and take action. Rohingya children are the world's responsibility," she told a press briefing here while wrapping up her four-day visit in Bangladesh.

The mega star urged world community to be little compassionate towards the Rohingya children saying that "Please Open your heart and companionate for children".

Highly appreciating Bangladesh role in tacking the Rohingya crisis, she said, "It's heartening to see the immense support that has been provided by the government of Bangladesh to the Rohingyas. They have not just opened their hearts but have made every effort to accommodate as many refuges as they can."

Chopra arrived in Dhaka on May 21 and hours after her arrival she left for Cox's Bazar. In last three days, the Bollywood heartthrob actress visited number of Rohingya camps in Teknaf upazila of Cox's Bazar district.

Describing her interaction with Rohingya children in Cox's Bazar, she said, "It's a life changing trip for me."

"These children are at the forefront of this humanitarian crisis, and they desperately need our help," she said.

Priyanka said nearly 60 percent of the more than 700,000 refugees are children, living in desperately difficult conditions - without access to permanent shelter, clean and safe water, food and with limited access to basic education.

"No matter where a child is from or what his or her circumstances are, every child is the future of this world. We need to make sure that they are provided the opportunity to have future. It's up to us, as global citizens to make sure we show compassion to the circumstances of these children," she said.

Urging the world community to provide more support for the Rohingya children, she said, "Without education and learning opportunities Rohoingya children will quickly become a lost generation."

Replying to a question whether she will urge the Myanmar government to resolve the problem, she said, "I am too "little" to make any political statement ....... but as my concern here is children, I am urging all to take action in this regards."

After the press briefing at the local hotel here this evening, Priyanka, who was named a global Unicef Goodwill Ambassador after serving as a National Goodwill Ambassador to India for 10 years, left Dhaka.

Priyanka is also a United Nations Foundation Girl Up Champion, and is involved in a number of efforts to protect children's rights and promote the education of girls in India, including her namesake charity The Priyanka Chopra Foundation for Health and Education.