Rohingya refugee's unimaginable story of suffering

Warning: This article contains distressing content

A Kiwi photographer volunteering at the world's largest refugee camp describes the suffering she has seen as "incomprehensible".

Close to 1 million Rohingya - stateless people who reside in Myanmar's Rakhine state - are now living in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar, after fleeing their homes in bordering Myanmar.

They were escaping escalating violence, allegedly at the hands of the Myanmar military, who the United Nations have accused of "killing indiscriminately, gang-raping women, assaulting children and burning entire villages".

Speaking to Newshub, Helen Manson was brought to tears over one mother's story.

"The military bashed in the doors, found the dad - he was underneath the table - and they killed him in front of her four girls. Well, the very next thing that happened is that they took her outside and raped her in front of her children."

After enduring horrific violence, Ms Manson said the mother now struggles to feed her children in the overcrowded camp.

"One of the things she said to me was, 'I just wish I could give them snacks.' She said, 'They're so hungry, and in the afternoon time they ask me for snacks, and I don't have anything to give them.'"

Ms Manson says public interest and donations have begun to wane, placing additional pressure on already overstretched aid workers.

"You know, when a crisis starts, no matter what crisis that is all around the world, you've got a great amount of public interest in those first few months... but the problem we're looking at now, a year in, is that that support starts to dwindle."

Newshub Nation.

If you'd like to support the people there, you can donate to Tearfund's Rohingya Crisis Appeal by visiting tearfund.org.nz or calling 0800 800 777.