Abduction and Kidnapping in Rohingya Camps, Ongoing Threats and Family Struggles

Authored by Mohammed Asem, Anowar Mustafa and Ro Habib Arkani

Introduction

Nearly 1.1 million Rohingya people are surviving in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar Refugee camps, who have been forced to leave their country due to the ongoing genocide against the Rohingya in Arakan State by the government of Myanmar and again in Rohingya refugees camp our lives remain under threat due to the abduction, kidnapping and extortion. According to the Human Rights Watch, kidnappings and abductions are intensifying due to a lack of proper safety and security in the Rohingya Refugee camp in Bangladesh. Mostly those who have children aged 10 to 20 always stay under the fear of abduction and kidnapping. Many vulnerable families are suffering due to not being able to give ransom to kidnappers and losing their children every day in the Bangladesh area of Teknaf to Cox’s Bazar. People are feeling scared to go from one camp to another camp due to the ongoing kidnapping around Cox’s Bazar to Teknaf. This analytical report investigates how the Rohingya parents are encountering the ongoing abduction and kidnapping in across refugee encampment.

Current Situation and Trends

The Cox’s Bazar Rohingya refugee camps have been plagued in recent months by an alarming rise in kidnappings and abductions, with teenagers and youths being the targets. Most of these atrocities are believed to be committed by Rohingya armed groups. Teenagers and children as young as 12 years old are being kidnapped from roads, schools, and even their own shelters. They are held captive and released only after their families pay massive ransoms, on occasion as much as they demand.

– According to the Joint Protection Monitoring Report (Q1, 2024), at least 152 kidnapping cases were documented in a period of three months alone affecting directly over 600 individuals. Behind the numbers are people like children who return home traumatized, parents who sell their only belongings to save their sons and daughters, and families destroyed by fear and economic ruin. Survivors often bear the physical and emotional scars of immense torture.

In one recent case, as reported by Human Trafficking news, four Rohingya adolescents from Teknaf were released only after the payment of large ransoms. In another horrible incident reported by Arakan News, a young girl was abducted in July 2025, and her death was reported to her family as her family failed to fulfill the demand they had made.

What is particularly shocking about this crisis is the silence that envelops it. A majority of families, fearing retaliation and mistrusting the authorities, choose not to report such offenses. Thus, the true size of the tragedy is likely to be much bigger than is officially recognized.

– This rampant outbreak of kidnapping has paralyzed ordinary life in the camps. Children are afraid to go to school. Parents live in constant fear. Movement is restricted and dreams are shattered, and a whole generation of Rohingya children are being forced to grow up under the shadow of violence and insecurity.

And yet, amidst fear, the spirit of the Rohingya people is not broken. Families cling to hope. The young groups and community leaders are beginning to raise awareness to protect one another.

Impact on families and community

The ongoing rise in abduction and kidnapping cases has put the Rohingya families in constant fear and emotional stress. The parents, especially those with children between 10 and 20 years old, live in fear every single moment by thinking that their daughters or sons will be next in line to be abducted by kidnappers. The mothers cannot sleep enough at night, clutching their children to them, and the fathers are powerless, knowing that they cannot guard their families or pay ransom if their family members are taken by kidnappers.

– In the majority of cases, families have lost everything trying to collect together money to have their abducted children back only to be ignored or threatened again. The emotional suffering is crushing with parents falling into depression and some even falling physically ill from stress and trauma.

Challenges in Reporting and Response

Challenges in reporting, if the victim’s family reported to any legal authorities or organizations against their child’s abduction may lose their children permanently and the kidnappers always threatened the victim’s family like, if they said anything to anyone, there is no guarantee to get their children alive again so that due to fear of attack and threaten, the victim’s family always hide their trouble in front of people or authorities.

– According to Big New Network, Rohingya are facing challenges in reporting because they do not receive any rescue protection after reporting to the BD police. The victim’s family suffered due to the reporting to the police and got no rescue for their 11-year-old child from kidnappers, and even faced death threats from the kidnappers. Mostly in the Bangladesh Rohingya Refugee camp, abduction and kidnapping are happening due to criminal gangs, and they forcefully take youths, even from their own shelter, and seek ransom from their family. If they can’t pay the ransom, they do whatever they want with that boy, torture him physically, and leave them beaten. Unconscious into the drain and open space. According to the UNHCR, the abduction, kidnapping, reporting, and response are rare due to insecurity in the camp by the Bangladesh authorities.

Challenges in responses, Human Rights Watch asks a victim’s family, why do not you tell authorities about your daughter’s abduction! The victim’s family responded to them, if we reported to the authorities, there is no guarantee that we can bring our daughter back If we respond, they may take our children again because they have illegal activities to harm us and our children, we feel afraid their threatening and want to stay away from them by talking nothing about them. Even in the camp, there are no NGOs that are working to ensure the safety and security from abduction, kidnapping, and working with the reports of the Rohingya.

Voices from the Camp

Abdu Salam – a 35-year-old-Rohingya Genocide survivor, who is surviving with his family in the Bangladesh Rohingya Refugee camp faced abduction with his second son, Zubair – 15 years old, a student of NGO Mufti Cox’s, while Zubair was going to school on foot, he successfully reached his school and had studied nearly 4 hours but while his teacher told them to go to their shelter after the class, Jubair was backing to shelter but after some while an old person seek help from him on his way to Kutupalong Bazar, the old man was not able to walk properly and I helped him to reach to Kutupalong Bazar but after reaching to his destination in Kutupalong in a space where people are very rare, after some minutes, two young men came and told me to come into the CNG forcibly and I was trying to escape them but unfortunately I was kidnapped by them forcibly, I wasn’t able to do anything because there were young two men that old was too with them, after taking me in a place, where I cannot recognize, tied me with rope and telling me do you know your family anyone number, I said “I don’t know ” They beat me for saying that, Iwas forced to give them my family number, and they called my father after 3 days later ,my family was became fool due to not finding me and my father ask my school teachers about me and they answered my father, we told them to go the shelter ,they went back,

– Father – After 3 days, when the kidnappers called me and told me that we had abducted your son, if you do not give us 2 lakhs BGD Taka, we will kill your son, and they also mentioned to me that if I told any authorities, we would definitely kill your son. For such threats, I didn’t report to any authorities about this. 4 days later, they called me again, and said things like that, will give the money or not! Otherwise, we are going to kill your son. I beg the kidnappers, saying that I am a very poor person, how can I manage a huge amount of money? After seeking money from people like begging, I can manage 50k, but the kidnappers were not agreeing with me, and I cried a lot. After 6 days, I gave them 80K BGD Taka and brought my son back. Father – “managing such a huge amount of money, made like a beggar” said during in person interview.

Recommendations

According to the UNHCR, IOM, HRW, Protection sector, and UN, the Bangladesh government should increase security in the camp to create a safer and peaceful environment in the Rohingya Refugee camp. The kidnapping and abduction may ultimately decrease within the camp, and as we are responsible youths, we must work with the protection actors like UNHCR to prevent further escalation of abduction and kidnapping.

– Everyone has the right to move carefully while they go to any place for emergency work, and the NGOs in the camp must ensure the rights of child protection said Rohingya refugee parents. The Bangladesh government should pressure those who are patrolling inside the camp to stop illegal activities to make the Rohingya refugee camp a safe environment where no one is under the threat of kidnapping and abduction.

Conclusion

This analytical report is highly recommended for stopping the kidnapping and abduction of the Rohingya refugees camp and what are the measures should be taken by the government of Bangladesh and other NGO organizations for the safety and security of the Rohingya children as the kidnapping and abduction become a constant fear among the Rohingya refugees due to a lack of sufficient law enforcement, insecurity, and posing a threat to the young people in the camp, especially those aged 10 to 20. The ongoing kidnapping and abduction must be ended with the support of the Bangladesh authorities to help our mothers, brothers, and sisters away from the fear of abduction. Rohima, 25 years old, a Rohingya mother, told us that my daughter is not attending the class due to fear of abduction, as she heard about it. She said we hope the UNHCR, UN HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH, and Bangladesh authorities will do anything to help my daughter study without fear. Kidnapping and abduction must end within the camp for a safe and peaceful environment around Cox’s Bazar to Teknaf for the Rohingya refugee children.

References

https://reliefweb.int/report/bangladesh/we-are-too-scared-go-anywhere-rohingya-childrens-fears-violence-spirals-bangladesh-refugee-camps

https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/07/13/bangladesh-spiraling-violence-against-rohingya-refugees

https://www.unhcr.org/news/stories/taking-traffickers-worlds-largest-refugee-site