Nearly 900 Rohingya refugees died or went missing in 2025 along maritime routes across the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, marking the deadliest year on record for these corridors, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

An investigation by Kaladan Press Network (KPN) indicates that these deaths are not isolated tragedies but part of a deeply entrenched system of trafficking and smuggling networks that continue to exploit Rohingya displacement amid weak regional coordination and restrictive migration policies.

Maritime Routes: From Camps to Open Sea

For many Rohingya refugees confined to camps in Cox’s Bazar, maritime escape has become one of the few perceived pathways out of protracted displacement.

Journeys typically begin with clandestine recruitment inside camps, followed by transport to coastal embarkation points along Bangladesh’s southeastern shoreline. From there, boats—often overcrowded and unseaworthy—depart toward destinations such as Malaysia, Indonesia, or Thailand.

These routes traverse high-risk waters in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, where migrants face:

        • Storm exposure and vessel breakdown
        • Starvation and dehydration during extended journeys
        • Abuse, extortion, and violence by traffickers

Survivor testimonies collected by humanitarian actors describe voyages lasting weeks, with limited food and water, and frequent abandonment at sea when vessels become disabled.

Trafficking Networks: Structured and Adaptive

KPN findings suggest that Rohingya maritime movements are increasingly controlled by organized smuggling and trafficking syndicates operating across borders.

These networks typically function through a multi-tiered structure:

        • Local recruiters inside refugee camps who identify and persuade potential migrants
        • Brokers and facilitators who arrange payments and logistics
        • Transport operators managing land and sea movement
        • Receiving agents in destination countries coordinating disembarkation and onward transit

Fees can range from several hundred to several thousand US dollars, often financed through debt arrangements that place migrants at risk of forced labor or exploitation upon arrival.

Analysts note that these networks are highly adaptive, shifting routes and tactics in response to enforcement measures. “When one corridor is disrupted, another emerges,” said a regional migration expert. “The system is decentralized but interconnected.”

Criminal–Humanitarian Nexus

The distinction between human smuggling and human trafficking is often blurred in the Rohingya context. While some migrants initially consent to smuggling arrangements, many later experience coercion, abuse, or exploitation—meeting the legal threshold for trafficking.

Cases of:

        • Forced labor in fishing or plantation sectors
        • Sexual exploitation of women and girls
        • Detention for ransom by traffickers

have been documented along these routes.

The International Organization for Migration warns that the lack of safe migration pathways effectively channels vulnerable populations into these illicit systems.

Regional Policy Failures: Fragmented Responses

Despite the transnational nature of Rohingya trafficking networks, regional responses remain fragmented.

Bangladesh

Hosting over one million Rohingya refugees, Bangladesh has intensified restrictions on movement and livelihood opportunities within camps. While aimed at maintaining security, these measures have inadvertently increased incentives for irregular migration.

Malaysia and Thailand

Destination countries such as Malaysia and Thailand continue to rely on enforcement-driven approaches, including detention of undocumented arrivals. The absence of formal refugee recognition frameworks—particularly in Malaysia—limits protection and legal pathways for Rohingya migrants.

Indonesia

Indonesia has periodically allowed boat landings on humanitarian grounds but lacks a consistent long-term policy framework, leading to ad hoc responses.

ASEAN

At the regional level, the ASEAN has not established a binding mechanism to address forced migration or trafficking in persons, relying instead on voluntary cooperation and non-interference principles.

“Trafficking networks exploit policy gaps between jurisdictions,” said a Southeast Asia policy analyst. “Without coordinated frameworks, enforcement remains reactive and incomplete.”

Data Gaps and “Invisible” Deaths

The nearly 900 deaths recorded in 2025 are widely considered an undercount. Limited surveillance, lack of reporting mechanisms, and the remote nature of maritime routes mean that many incidents go undocumented.

The International Organization for Migration estimates that since 2014, more than 80,000 migrants globally have died or disappeared during migration—figures that likely represent only a fraction of the true toll.

Aid cuts and reduced monitoring capacity in 2025 further compounded the problem, rendering many missing migrants effectively invisible.

Legal Accountability: Gaps in Enforcement

International legal frameworks, including the UN Palermo Protocol, require states to criminalize trafficking, protect victims, and cooperate across borders. However, implementation remains uneven.

Key challenges include:

        • Limited cross-border investigations and intelligence sharing
        • Weak victim identification systems
        • Inadequate prosecution of high-level trafficking organizers
        • Insufficient protection for witnesses and survivors

Experts argue that enforcement often targets low-level facilitators while leaving broader criminal networks intact.

Human Cost: Families Left Without Answers

Beyond the statistics, the human impact is profound. The IOM estimates that at least 340,000 family members globally have been directly affected by migrant disappearances since 2014.

For Rohingya families in camps, the uncertainty is acute. Many lose contact with relatives at sea, receiving no confirmation of death or survival.

“People leave because they see no future,” said a humanitarian worker in Cox’s Bazar. “But too often, the journey itself becomes the end.”

Conclusion: A Preventable Crisis

The continued loss of Rohingya lives at sea reflects not only the brutality of trafficking networks but also systemic failures in regional and international policy.

Without:

        • Expanded safe and legal migration pathways
        • Coordinated regional protection mechanisms
        • Stronger enforcement against trafficking syndicates
        • Improved conditions in refugee-hosting areas

the cycle of exploitation and loss is likely to persist.

As maritime routes grow deadlier, the question is no longer whether the crisis can be prevented—but whether the political will exists to act before more lives are lost.

 

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