Montas Begum, 30, Balukhali refugee camp. Begum’s husband and three sons were murdered when Myanmar’s troops attacked her village, Tula Tuli. The soldiers beat and burned her before taking a machete to her daughter. The young girl survived but was left scarred. Tula Tuli witnessed some of the worst atrocities of the military crackdown, which killed tens of thousands of people and forced 700,000 to flee. Survivors report seeing mass graves with badly charred and butchered bodies piled high. Many of the community’s women and girls report being raped and then locked in buildings, which were set alight

Alima Khatoon, 35, Balukhali refugee camp. When Myanmar’s military entered Alima’s village last August, all 3,000 residents fled. Her family hid in the forests for 11 days without food before being discovered, rounded up and shot. Incredibly, Alima and her husband and three children survived the attack but 20 members of her extended family were murdered, including her parents, brothers, sisters, cousins, uncles and aunts. ‘My life is so much better since I came to the camp,’ Khatoon says. ‘I feel free here. In Myanmar my family was constantly under threat from the military – but here I am safe’

Rohingya children in a bamboo shelter, Balukhali refugee camp. The Bangladesh authorities want the Rohingya refugees to return to Myanmar and prohibit them from building permanent structures. Most live in makeshift dwellings constructed from bamboo poles and plastic tarpaulins which are particularly vulnerable to the elements. Recent attempts to force the Rohingya community to return to their villages led to widespread panic and at least one suicide. The community fears a repeat of the war crimes that forced them to flee last year, including torture, rape and mass murder.

Mohammad Sobhi, 60, Balukhali camp. Sobhi’s neighbours saved his life after he was attacked and left for dead by Myanmar’s military. The government hospital was unsafe for Rohingyas, so he was treated by community medics – but his leg became badly infected. Eventually, the family paid two men to carry Sobhi to Bangladesh; he spent two months in a Chittagong hospital, where his leg was amputated. After his operation, Sobhi returned home to his village – but the soldiers returned, and he was forced to flee a second time. ‘The soldiers didn’t say anything, they just shot me from behind,’ Sobhi says. ‘Even though I’m alive, I’m dead. I’m nothing in the world any more. I was very strong before it happened. Why do they want to destroy us?’

Shamlapur beach in the Cox’s Bazar district has effectively become a Rohingya fishing colony. While local fishermen claim a moral obligation to help desperate fellow Muslims find work, the Bangladeshi government has accused them of profiteering

Thousands of Rohingya men and boys are employed on minimal wages in the Bangladesh fishing trade. Most work for a tiny daily income and a share of the catch. Bangladesh has not given the Rohingya community the right to work legally, so the community is dependent on charitable support or exploitative labour to survive

When people wait for their monthly food rations, lines often weave around the camps.

Rohingya wedding, Balukhali refugee camp. Under Myanmar rule, Rohingya people faced tight restrictions on the right to register marriages, births, and deaths. In 2014, the Bangladeshi parliament passed legislation prohibiting registrars from officiating at unions between Rohingya and Bangladeshis and between Rohingya couples. Under the legislation, anyone found to have married a Rohingya can be sentenced to seven years in prison.

Children enjoy a game of football in monsoon rains, in Cox’s Bazar, October 2017. Bangladesh experiences some of the most intense monsoon seasons on earth. Last summer’s deadly floods threatened the lives and homes of thousands of Rohingya children and families, sparking a major health crisis. Prevented from building permanent structures by the Bangladesh authorities, many of the community’s bamboo shelters were washed away.

Four-month-old Monir* at Kutapalong refugee camp, Cox’s Bazar. Monir’s mother, Shafika*, was heavily pregnant when the Myanmar military unleashed a wave of violent attacks against her village and she was forced to flee. Monir was born stateless, denied citizenship by both Bangladesh and Myanmar governments. Close to 48,000 babies are expected to be born in the settlement in 2018. With almost a quarter of children under five suffering from malnourishment and without access to schools or adequate healthcare, the future for children looks bleak.

Makeshift bamboo shelters in the morning mist, Balukhali refugee camp, Cox’s Bazar. More than a million men, women and children live in close quarters in the densely packed settlement. Conditions are appalling and without access to clean water or toilets, and with only one hospital to care for 1.3 million people, disease outbreaks are a constant threat.

Qur’an study at the madrasa, Balukhali refugee camp. The Rohingya community suffered prolonged religious persecution in Myanmar. Places of worship and religious texts were regularly destroyed, and ultra nationalist Buddhist groups regularly incited religious hatred against Muslims. Despite the desperate conditions in the refugee camps, the community is free to openly practise their Muslim faith.

Rajuma Begum, 20

Seven of Ms. Begum’s family members were killed in front of her eyes, including her two younger sisters and little brother. Her one-year-old baby was also burned alive.

Ten soldiers came towards the villagers and ordered 25 young women, including Ms. Begum, to come with them. The soldiers would do “what they wanted with the girls.” She was raped, beaten and left for dead.

After the attack, Ms. Begum fled to Bangladesh. On the way she met another woman with her child, who joined her for the journey. At the border, they saw many other Rohingya waiting to cross and realized that what happened in their village wasn’t an isolated incident. Everyone has similar stories.