Right to Health and Nutrition of Refugee Children: A Legal and Human Rights Perspective with Special Reference to Rohingya Children in South Asia

Abstract

The global refugee crisis has placed millions of children in conditions of extreme vulnerability, with their fundamental rights to health and nutrition frequently compromised. This article examines the international legal framework governing the right to health and nutrition of refugee children, with particular focus on the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), and the guidelines established by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Taking the Rohingya refugee crisis in South Asia as a case study, the article critically analyses the implementation gaps that persist between the normative standards enshrined in international human rights instruments and the lived realities of refugee children in Bangladesh and India. The study reveals that despite a robust international legal architecture, structural deficiencies in domestic legal frameworks, the absence of refugee-specific legislation in host states, and chronic underfunding of humanitarian operations contribute to widespread malnutrition and health deprivation among Rohingya refugee children. The article concludes with recommendations for strengthening legal accountability and bridging the implementation gap.