Sexual Abuse Rampant in Rohingya Camps

Arakan Now | 1 September 2025

Sexual harassment remains one of the most pressing concerns for Rohingya women and adolescents living in the overcrowded refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, according to a study released yesterday.

Cox’s Bazar hosts nearly one million Rohingya refugees, mostly Muslim minorities who fled a brutal military crackdown in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.

ActionAid — one of the largest NGOs operating in the camps since the 2017 influx — conducted 66 in-depth interviews that reveal alarming levels of abuse and vulnerability.

“Sexual harassment is the biggest concern,” said Tamazer Ahmed, Policy, Research and Advocacy Manager at ActionAid. “Early marriage and polygamy have become normalised, and 93 percent of interviewees remained outside the scope of legal assistance.”

Participants said that perpetrators included not only men known to their families but also members of the Armed Police Battalion (APBN), the government security force deployed in the camps.

Ahmed added that women described a shift over time — from a lack of basic amenities in the early days of displacement to more systemic forms of abuse now.

“Rohingya women and adolescents often fall victim to molestation, rape, trafficking, poverty, educational exclusion, and even death,” he said.

Girls aged 6 to 15 were identified as the most vulnerable, with frequent harassment near latrines, bathing facilities, aid distribution centres, hospitals, schools, madrassas, border areas, and even relatives’ homes.

“Patriarchy runs deep in the Rohingya community,” said Farah Kabir, Executive Director of ActionAid. “But this research centred the voices of Rohingya women, mostly aged 16 to 30 years.”

Women surveyed urged authorities to:

• Improve lighting in public spaces,

• Replace APBN officers with army personnel,

• Engage men in prevention initiatives, and

• Expand education and livelihood opportunities.

Trust in law enforcement and religious leaders remains low, with many women saying they feel they have nowhere to turn when abused.

APBN Commanding Officer Kausar Sikdar denied knowledge of any allegations against the force.

Bangladesh has seen a renewed surge in Rohingya refugees since early 2024, with 150,000 new arrivals recorded this year.

Source: The Daily Star