Rohingya refugees' perilous journey in search of safety

More than 200 Rohingya refugees are believed to have died or gone missing at sea in 2020 in search of a better life.

The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, says more than a third of those who made the perilous journeys from refugee camps in Bangladesh to Malaysia and Indonesia were children.

Many starved at sea on boats operated by smugglers before being turned away at their final point of destination, due to Covid-19 restrictions.

The Rohingya Muslims had already fled their homes in Myanmar to escape persecution and returning to Bangladesh by sea has been complicated, with authorities refusing to allow most boats to dock in the country's mainland.

These are the stories of some who survived.

Reporter: BBC South Asia correspondent Rajini Vaidyanathan. Produced by Peter Emmerson. Animation by Davies Surya. Additional filming and production by Omar and Mohammad Faruk.

23 December 2020