Human Trafficking Network Expands Inside Rohingya Refugee Camps in Bangladesh

Report By Saiful Arakani, Rohingya Political Journalist.

From Teknaf,Cox’s Bazar Bangladesh.

Teknaf, Bangladesh, Human trafficking targeting Rohingya refugees has sharply increased over the past ten days, with at least 310 Rohingya men, women, and children removed from 33 refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar and Teknaf, according to information obtained by this reporter.

Sources say the refugees are currently being held in remote and uninhabited local villages and hill areas, including AjaHali, Mera Panesora, and the Marine Drive hills of Teknaf, located along the eastern side of the Bay of Bengal. these areas are reportedly being used as temporary detention points by traffickers ahead of a planned sea journey to Malaysia.

Women and Children Most at Risk the majority of those taken are unmarried girls, women, children, and young people, making them especially vulnerable to exploitation, sexual abuse, and violence. Community members say traffickers deliberately target these groups, knowing their limited protection and desperate circumstances.

Planned Sea Journey to Malaysia

According to the information gathered, traffickers are planning to begin transporting the refugees to Malaysia by 02 January 2026.Once financial collections from families are completed. The trafficking operation is being carried out in multiple stages, In the first stage, traffickers are collecting 20,000 Bangladeshi Taka per person.

This money is used to: Transport refugees from the camps to Teknaf Move them by small dinghy boats from the Teknaf coast Transfer them onto a larger fishing boat positioned offshore near the Saint Martin, Bay of Bengal sea route, Offshore Transfer and Overcrowding, Sources report that the main vessel intended for the Malaysia journey is currently located 200 to 250 kilometers from the Teknaf coast. From there:

20 to 30 Rohingya refugees at a time are ferried by dinghy boats.

They are transferred onto a large fishing boat the journey will not begin until 250 to 300 refugees are fully loaded onto the vessel, Such overcrowding significantly increases the risk of drowning, starvation, disease, and death at sea.

Deception, Coercion, and Kidnapping

Human traffickers are reportedly using several methods to recruit and capture victims: False promises of marriage, employment, and a better life, Claims that refugees will gain legal status in Malaysia, Kidnapping of youth directly from refugee camps, followed by their sale to trafficking networks. Several refugees told this reporter that their lack of legal options leaves them with no alternative.

One Rohingya woman said: “We fled to Bangladesh in 2017 and earlier in 1991 to escape genocide by the Myanmar government. We have no citizenship and no passport. My husband is in Malaysia. He cannot come to Bangladesh, and I cannot go legally. that is why I am forced to risk my life to meet him.” Criminal Networks and Armed Elements Involved, Information also suggests that criminal groups and armed elements operating around the Teknaf camps are involved in facilitating the trafficking operations, providing protection, transportation, and intimidation.

Extortion and Killings in the Andaman Sea

Once the boats reach the Andaman Sea, refugees are reportedly detained on remote islands near Malaysia and Thailand.

At this stage: Families are forced to pay 400,000 Bangladeshi Taka (4 lakh) per person, those who can pay are taken onward to Malaysia and Those who fail to pay face severe violence and possible killing, These actions amount to organized extortion, detention, and murder, according to refugee testimonies.

Hundreds Missing After Recent Journeys

From October to December 2026, an estimated 1,000 Rohingya refugees began sea journeys from Bangladesh toward Malaysia. Of them:

About 800 reportedly reached Malaysia or Thailand the remaining refugees are still missing, with no confirmed information about their fate, families continue to search for loved ones, fearing the worst.

Human trafficking of Rohingya refugees remains a grave and ongoing crisis driven by statelessness, prolonged displacement, family separation, and lack of safe migration pathways. Women, children, and youth continue to pay the highest price.

Urgent action is needed to stop these crimes before more Rohingya lives are lost at sea.