FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AWARENESS RELEASE: YOUR LIFE IS PRECIOUS — THE SEA IS NOT THE ANSWER

A Message to Rohingya Youth and Girls from Action Against Rohingya Atrocities (AARA)
April 26, 2026 – COX’S BAZAR

To our young brothers and sisters, our daughters, and our future leaders in the camps,
We see your pain. We see your desperation. And we are speaking directly to you today because your life is precious beyond measure.
On April 9, 2026, a fishing trawler carrying nearly 300 of your people, men, women, and children,capsized in the Andaman Sea. An estimated 250 souls are now missing or dead, including many young people just like you. Among the nine survivors was a young woman, scarred by hot engine oil and haunted by two days adrift in open water.
This is not just another news story. This is a warning. The treacherous path across the sea is not a gateway to a better life, it is increasingly becoming an "unmarked graveyard" for the desperate.

THE HARD TRUTH: THE RISING TIDE OF TRAGEDY & THE TRAFFICKERS’ LIES

You are being told that Malaysia or Indonesia offers a future. But the numbers are speaking a different, harsher truth:
• 2025 was the deadliest year on record for Rohingya sea crossings. Nearly 900 of your people were reported dead or missing in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal.
• Over 6,500 Rohingya attempted these journeys last year, with one in seven perishing, the highest mortality rate of any major sea migration route in the world.
• The danger is escalating. Deaths increased by over 40 percent from 2024 to 2025, from 598 to 860.
• In just the first three and a half months of 2026, more than 2,800 Rohingya have already attempted these crossings. And this single April tragedy has added an estimated 250 to the toll.
• A special warning to our girls and young women: In recent years, over half of those making these journeys have been women and children, placing you at extreme risk of trafficking and exploitation at the hands of smugglers.

CRITICAL WARNING: THE ARAKAN ARMY (AA) IS PART OF THE TRAFFICKING NETWORK
We must name the truth clearly so you can protect yourselves:

The Arakan Army (AA) and its agents facilitate human trafficking through the Naf River, extending into the Andaman Sea and onward to Malaysia, where they operate from various locations to coordinate trafficking activities. The Arakan Army (AA) is a key actor in this process. They reportedly use routes in which Rohingya people and local Bangladeshis are collected and transported by boat from the Teknaf shore to Tha Mee Hla (locally known as Shamila) village in Rathedaung Township, and then moved onward to other townships within Rakhine State and beyond.
Please stay away from human trafficking networks and any influence associated with the Arakan Army (AA).
Anyone who tells you they can get you safely to another country, especially if they have links to armed groups, is lying to you. They are not your saviors. They are traders in human misery.

THE BLEAK REALITY DRIVING THE RISK
We know why you feel pushed to the edge. A UNHCR official on the ground said plainly: "The Rohingya population is very young and aspires to a better life, but that hope is increasingly turning into desperation. That is why youths and families are deciding to take these dangerous boat journeys".
The world is failing you here in the camps:
• Food rations have been slashed, dropping to as little as US$7 per person.
• Funding shortages have shuttered thousands of schools and youth centers, with nearly half a million children left without classrooms.
• Girls are being pushed into marriage at shocking rates, and children as young as 10 are forced into brutal labor.
• Health services are collapsing, and violence and insecurity are growing inside the camps.

Desperation is real. But the false promise of smugglers, including those connected to the Arakan Army (AA), is a lethal deception.

A DIRECT APPEAL: YOUR FUTURE IS HERE, NOT IN THE DEPTHS OF THE SEA
1. Your life is priceless. No dream of a job in Malaysia is worth the near-certain risk of drowning, suffocation, or trafficking.
2. Don't believe the traffickers, and stay away from the Arakan Army’s influence. They do not care if you live or die. Survivors have spoken of being kept in suffocating holding areas and burned by engine oil. Girls as young as 12 are forced into prostitution along these routes. The Arakan Army (AA) is a key actor in this system,do not let them use you as cargo.
3. Education is still your most powerful weapon. A 15-year-old girl named Husna in the camps told us she dreams of becoming a doctor to help girls like herself. She is not giving up. Neither should you.
4. Your voice is your strength. The situation is unjust, but death at sea is not a protest, it is a tragedy. Organize, speak up, and support each other. Refuse the boats.

CALL TO ACTION FOR ROHINGYA YOUTH AND GIRLS

· Organize peer support groups in your camp blocks to warn younger children about the dangers of smugglers and the Arakan Army’s trafficking routes.
· Create art, write, and speak out about the pressures you face. Share your stories with AARA so the world cannot look away.
· Report trafficking recruiters, especially anyone claiming links to the Arakan Army( AA), to community leaders and aid organizations.
· Stay in learning centers wherever possible. Even informal education protects you from exploitation.
· Share this message: Your life matters. The sea is not a journey, it is a trap. And the Arakan Army ( AA) is not your ally, it is a trafficking actor.

CALL TO ACTION FOR THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

We again demand global action, now with doubled urgency for the protection of Rohingya youth and girls:

1. Immediately fund education and child protection programs in the camps to stop the slide into child labor, marriage, and trafficking.
2. Launch an urgent investigation and crackdown on trafficking networks operating in and around the camps, including the specific routes controlled by the Arakan Army.
3. Sanction and prosecute any armed group or official found to be facilitating human trafficking across the Naf River and Andaman Sea.
4. Restore full food rations, healthcare, and safety services in Cox's Bazar immediately.
5. Hold the Myanmar military accountable for the genocide and persecution that is the root cause of this entire crisis.

FINAL WORDS

To every young Rohingya person reading this, especially our girls: You belong to a people who have survived unimaginable cruelty. Do not let the smugglers, or the Arakan Army (AA), claim the rest of your generation. Refuse the boats. Reject the lies. Stay away from the traffickers. Rebuild your power in the camps. Survive. Resist. And demand a future, here, in safety, with dignity.
We at AARA will never stop fighting for you. Stay alive. Stay together. And stay home.

About Action Against Rohingya Atrocities (AARA):
AARA is dedicated to systematically collecting, verifying, and preserving evidence and testimonies related to atrocities against the Rohingya people, advocating for justice, accountability, and lasting solutions. We amplify the voices of Rohingya youth and girls.

Sources: Reuters (April 21, 2026); UNHCR “2025 was deadliest year yet for maritime movements of Rohingya refugees”; AARA field monitoring reports.