III. Responses by the Former Government of Bangladesh and the U.N. Refugee Agency 58 The man went into hiding after the incident. He remains in hiding and, at the time of writing, has not heard from UNHCR.297 A Rohingya refugee working with a Rohingya-led organization in the camps shared a similar experience after he reported to UNHCR how ARSA accused him of being a government informant and threatened his life in December 2023. He said: “I met with a UNHCR protection in person. I told them everything. [The UNHCR focal point] didn’t try to give me any solution. He said, ‘Stay aware … [and] please try to protect yourselves.’ … Now the [UNHCR] focal point is not answering my calls.”298 A Rohingya human rights defender also failed to receive an appropriate response from UNHCR after an unknown Rohingya group abducted and held him for two days in September 2023. He said: I went to the [UNHCR] protection focal point [in my camp]. I shared all the details about my abduction with them. They said they could transfer me to a different camp. The UNHCR’s focal point asked, “Which camp is safe for you?” I told them there were no camps that were safe, because the armed groups are looking for me [and are present in all of the camps].299 As of October 2024, more than a year later, UNHCR failed to follow up on his case after providing no other alternatives to the man.300 The man said, “There is no response [from UNHCR]. … The situation in the camp has become worse than before. I’m always entangled by fear.”301 A documentary film by the BBC in December 2023 spotlighted cases of unanswered appeals for protection by Bangladesh nationals working with UNHCR.302 In response to the documentary, UNHCR acknowledged the allegations and said: “They are unacceptable and in no way reflect our values and principles. We encourage anyone with relevant information to contact our senior management and/or the Inspector General’s Office to report any type of misconduct so appropriate action can be taken.”303 297 Ibid. 298 Fortify Rights interview with H.G., Cox’s Bazar District, Bangladesh, December 21, 2023. 299 Fortify Rights interview with G.B., Cox’s Bazar District, Bangladesh, September 14, 2023. 300 Fortify Rights communication with G.B., Cox’s Bazar District, Bangladesh, October 21, 2024. 301 Ibid. 302 A Rohingya UNHCR protection field team member told the BBC that he referred protection cases to his UNHCR Bangladesh managers, but they failed to act. He told the BBC: “[The UNHCR managers] just dismiss people, simply saying, ‘It isn’t my job.’ I’ve rarely witnessed anyone receive protection from the UNHCR Protection Unit. The local [Bangladesh] staff don’t employ respect or dignity when communicating with people. That’s the reason for these issues. [As someone] working with the protection team I’ve personally experienced mistreatment. I can only imagine how they treat other Rohingya. I would like to point out that there is a lack of effective supervision of field-level staff by those at the senior level. When the protection unit just displays a signboard but doesn’t offer any real protection what is the point of having a protection unit?” See, “Our World - The Rohingya Camps - Let Down by the UN,” BBC, December 2, 2023, https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001t72d/our-world-the-rohingya-camps-let-downby-the-un. 303 UNHCR, “Statement on UNHCR’s Protection Response in Bangladesh,” December 2, 2023, https://www.unhcr.org/ asia/news/press-releases/statement-unhcr-protection-response-bangladesh.