At least 19,279 Rohingya refugees have been registered in 30 booths set up near different camps in Cox's Bazar. According to current estimates, 450,000 Rohingyas have entered the country between August 25 and September 26.
Lt Col Mahbubur Rahman commandant of Ukhiya camp told the Daily Observer on Tuesday that 3,015 refugees have been registered on Monday.
The normal life in Cox's Bazar was disrupted as some 450,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar. The price of daily commodities is also increasing day by day as the number of refugees swell.
The Ministry of Social Welfare has sought land from the government to shelter unaccompanied Rohingya children in separate camps.
State Minister for Social Welfare Nuruzzaman Ahmed said the government will rehabilitate some 6,000 Rohingya orphan children after giving them smart cards. The Minister disclosed this at a press briefing in the Secretariat.
Separate smart cards will be issued to minor children orphaned or separated from their families, said Secretary of the Ministry Zillar Rahman. As many as 1,800 children have been issued smart cards.
"We have requested for 200 acres of land in Ukhiya and Teknaf to shelter the Rohingya children. Once we have the land we will request the Prime Minister to build a separate camp there."
"Those between 13 and 18 years of age are vulnerable. They may become involved in unrest if allowed to remain in the general population. So the government has decided to take measures to separate them from others."
The Secretary outlined plans to house children up to seven years of age at one camp and those between eight and 18 years of age at another once the land is allocated.
"We want to keep the children away from the influence of the [insurgents]. It is for their good and to maintain peace in Bangladesh."
Several parents have attempted to register their children as orphans in the hope of receiving special treatment, source said.
"None of the Rohingya children are in critical condition, they are being looked after well. We hope that international pressure will help them return home soon. But they will be supported as long as they are here, according to the Prime Minister's orders."
Over 1,400 unaccompanied minors have been identified since an earlier crackdown in Rakhine State that led to an influx of refugees last October, UNICEF Communication Specialist Sakil Faizullah said.
"We will try to reunite the children with their families. UNICEF workers are going from camp to camp looking for them. We have managed to reunite 51 children with their families so far."
Faizullah said the government had not discussed its plans to house the unaccompanied minors separately with UNICEF.
According to a September 24 report published by the IOM and ISCG, 4,260 Rohingya children under the age of five were admitted to a malnutrition treatment and prevention programme in the camps.
International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and Inter Sector Coordination Group (ISCG) have identified symptoms of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in 759 Rohingya children under the age of five.
Around 100,000 Rohingya children are currently staying in the refugee camps, and 61,269 among them are under the age of five.
According to a report by the World Food Programme, several regions of the Rakhine State suffer from high levels of food insecurity.
Malnutrition in Rakhine is persistently high. Nutrition surveys conducted in late 2015 have revealed alarming rates of global acute malnutrition (GAM). In 2016, surveys indicated that a total of 18,900 children (12,200 under five and 6,700 over five) need urgent treatment for SAM across Rakhine State.
