Our History
In June 2012, Myanmar's armed forces launched renewed operations against the Rohingya ethnic community in Arakan. Hundreds of Rohingya people were massacred, while thousands of homes, religious buildings and other properties belonging to Rohingya communities were burned or destroyed. As a result, more than 150,000 people were forced from their villages and relocated to concentration-like camps in Sittwe.
As the violence and persecution against the Rohingya continued, prominent Rohingya scholars, activists and concerned individuals living in Europe organised an emergency roundtable meeting in Esbjerg, Denmark, on 6–7 October 2012.
From that roundtable meeting, the European Rohingya Council (ERC) was born, with a mission to serve the Rohingya people and to take every possible peaceful measure to help stop Myanmar's destruction and persecution of the Rohingya ethnic community.
Our Vision
Our vision is for the Rohingya people to live in peace and harmony with other ethnic communities in their ancestral homeland of Arakan, Myanmar.
Our Mission
ERC's mission is to serve the Rohingya people in the following areas:
- To take every possible peaceful measure to help stop Myanmar's destruction and persecution of the Rohingya people.
- To work for the restoration and protection of the Rohingya people's ethnic identity, equal citizenship and fundamental rights in Myanmar.
- To mobilise resources that contribute to rebuilding and strengthening the Rohingya community.
- To mobilise emergency humanitarian assistance for Rohingya people in need.
Our Values
- Solidarity
- Transparency
- Respect
- Care
- Justice
Who Are the Rohingya?
The Rohingya people are one of the ethnic minorities of Myanmar, with their own distinct culture, religion and language. Since the 1960s, successive Myanmar military authorities have pursued policies and operations that progressively deprived the Rohingya of their rights and subjected the community to repeated persecution.
In 1982, Myanmar enacted a new citizenship law that excluded the Rohingya from recognised citizenship and rendered large numbers of Rohingya stateless in their own ancestral homeland. The persecution and displacement of the Rohingya have continued across successive decades.
ERC remains committed to working for justice, dignity, equal rights and a peaceful and secure future for the Rohingya people.