If you saw genocide right in front of you, would you do something? What if it was happening on the other side of the world? Buddhist nationalists in Myanmar, previously named Burma, have burned down hundreds of villages, killed thousands, and displaced over 700,000 in one of the most disturbing campaigns of our era.

How did we get here? Well, it starts from a long hatred of minority groups in Myanmar. This includes the Rohingya, a Muslim minority group who mostly live in the Rakhine State. Myanmar is very religiously homogeneous, with almost 90% of the population today practicing Buddhism. In 1948, Myanmar achieved independence from the United Kingdom, after being part of British India. Along with the occupation of Japanese forces in Myanmar during World War 2, this event shaped the nationalism we see today in the nation.

In 1982, the military government removed the citizenship of Rohingya. This effectively made them stateless. The military claim the Rohingya are illegal immigrants, even though they've lived in the region for hundreds of years. In the 1990s, the Rohingya were able to receive white cards, identification that allows them to vote. But in 2015, their white cards, along with their voting rights, were stripped away as well.

In 2012, two Rohingya men were accused of raping and murdering a Buddhist woman. This sparked an outrage among Buddhist nationalists, who used the incident as an excuse to start a violent campaign against the Rohingya. The outrage was mainly the result of the military government looking for a scapegoat to unite the country against. The campaign involved village burnings and massacres that left over 280 killed and tens of thousands displaced.

In 2016, a Rohingya militant group called the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) emerged, coordinating multiple attacks on police. The military government retaliated and killed over 400 Rohingya and displaced over 400,000 more. The total count of people displaced has now reached over 700,000.

Aung San Suu Kyi, the civilian government's leader, has attempted to downplay the attacks, saying: “I think it is very little-known that the great majority of Muslims in the Rakhine State have not joined the exodus. More than 50 percent of the villages of Muslims are intact.” Ironically, she's implying in her own statement the very thing she wants to hide.

What do we do now? The obvious solution is to help the people first. The people whose homes were burned down, their villages left to ash, and their community members killed right in front of them. We shouldn't downplay how horrific a crisis this is. The US State Department conducted a survey of 1024 Rohingya, and they found that 51% had witnessed sexual violence, 64% had witnessed an injury, and 82% had witnessed a murder.

The majority of refugees, 693,000, are now present in Bangladesh, a Muslim majority nation. However, because they only possess refugee status, they aren't available to some of the rights a citizen would have, which leaves them vulnerable to trafficking. The options are either to bring them back to Myanmar or to integrate them into Bangladesh, where they become permanent citizens. And there's a pretty clear consensus.

“I'd rather die in Bangladesh than be forced to return to Myanmar,” says Aisha. Aisha is a 19 year old who was raped and saw her seven year old cut in half with a machete in Myanmar. It is clear why she, and many other refugees, wouldn't want to go back. They are traumatized and won't be ready for years or even decades to return.

Also, it will take a long time for the hate in Myanmar to go away, and sending hundreds of thousands of Rohingya back is not a good idea. The government of Bangladesh, although hesitant to accept so many refugees, needs to realize that this is the only realistic solution.

While the refugees are receiving citizenship, the UN should work to evacuate any remaining Rohingya into Bangladesh. Throughout this entire process, the UN should work to make sure all refugees are safe, fed, and received shelter. Currently, the UN provides less than 70 cents per refugee per day.

Once all Rohingya are evacuated into Bangladesh and possess citizenship and voting rights, we have to figure out how to integrate them into Bangladesh. This is arguably a much larger issue that has more to deal with the culture of Southeast Asia.

At the moment, it might seem like Myanmar is getting away with these atrocities without any repercussions, but this is not what should happen. World leaders need to make it clear that this is not okay for a government to do to its citizens. But right now, it's much more important that we prioritize ending the crisis and preventing any more horrific acts. It's unethical to not take care of the victims of this tragedy first, before politics or petty squabbles.

If you saw this crisis with your own eyes, would you do something?