The Past is Never Over

The Past is Never Over

From Rights & Wrongs by Human Rights Watch

May 11, 2026 · 39 min

About this episode

The episode follows Maung's journey from a refugee camp in Bangladesh to New York City, exploring the lasting impacts of human rights abuses on mental health and the challenges faced by refugees.

Now that Maung has learned about the history of the Rohingya community, he begins working towards an escape route. He hopes to leave the refugee camp and get an education so that he can advocate for his community. But his freedom of movement is limited and educational resources are scarce. This week, host Ngofeen Mputubwele charts Maung’s journey out of the refugee camp in Bangladesh and into New York City. But even when Maung, and other refugees like him, settle into their new homes, the human rights abuses they have suffered linger. How is mental health impacted not only by past atrocities, but also by the current systemic mistreatment of refugees? And with refugees becoming political flash points across the world, what can be done to support refugee communities around the globe? Maung Sawyeddollah: Agent of Change, Rohingya Muslim Philippe Bolopion: Executive Director, Human Rights Watch Nadia Hardman: Researcher, Refugee and Migrant Rights Division at Human Rights Watch Emina Ćerimović: Associate Director, Disability Rights Division at Human Rights Watch Spyros Orfanos: Director, New York University’s Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis

People in this episode

Host: Ngofeen Mputubwele

Guest: Maung Sawyeddollah

Topics covered

  • Rohingya community
  • refugee rights
  • mental health
  • human rights abuses
  • education
  • systemic mistreatment
  • advocacy

Keywords

  • Rohingya
  • refugees
  • mental health
  • human rights
  • advocacy
  • education
  • Bangladesh
  • New York City

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Human Rights Watch

Places: Bangladesh, New York City

More episodes of Rights & Wrongs

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Rights & Wrongs podcast page.