A child, Shahida, was reportedly abducted from Rohingya Camp 17 and a ransom video was sent to her family. The case has increased fears of rising child abductions, with urgent calls for action from the Government of Bangladesh, UNHCR, and International Organization for Migration.
Date: June 20, 2026
Fear and anxiety are spreading across the Rohingya refugee camps after another child was reportedly abducted, only days after the widely discussed kidnapping of five-year-old Alham.
According to family members, Shahida, the young daughter of Anamul Islam from Refugee Camp 17, was abducted at approximately 10:00 a.m on 18, 2026. The family said they later received a disturbing video showing the child with her hands tied and her eyes covered with a piece of cloth.
In the video, Shahida appeared frightened and was allegedly forced to deliver a message warning that she would be killed if a ransom was not paid within a specified period. The footage has caused widespread shock and fear among residents of the camp.
The incident has intensified concerns about the safety of children throughout the Rohingya refugee settlements in Cox’s Bazar, where many families already live under difficult and insecure conditions.
A father from Camp 16 described the growing fear among parents:
“Previously, we worried about our children becoming sick from different diseases. Now, our greatest fear is that they may be trafficked or abducted whenever they leave home to attend school or play outside.”
A Rohingya mother, struggling to hold back tears, spoke about the emotional toll these incidents are having on Rohingya families in Bangladesh refugee camp:
“After hearing about Alham and now Shahida, I cannot sleep peacefully. Whenever my children go outside, my heart follows them.”
Rohingya community members have told the Rohingya Youth Development Association (RYDA) that child kidnapping and abduction have become a growing and serious concern in recent years. Local residents report that around 200 families have received ransom demands for their children’s release. They also say that in several cases, victims were allegedly found dead even after ransom payments, while only a few children were safely returned to their families.
Many Rohingya residents believe that several factors are contributing to the rise in such crimes. Community members point to two groups that they believe are frequently involved. The first includes individuals who have become heavily involved in online gambling and, after accumulating debts, resort to criminal activities to obtain money. The second consists of organized criminal networks that use kidnapping, extortion, and other illegal activities as sources of income.
As fear continues to spread, residents, community leaders, and parents are calling for stronger security measures across the camps. They are urging authorities and humanitarian actors to take decisive action against criminal networks, strengthen child protection systems, raise awareness among families, and increase community participation in efforts to prevent further abductions.
The recent cases involving Alham and Shahida have highlighted the urgent need for coordinated action to protect children and improve safety throughout the Rohingya refugee camps.
Rohingya community members are calling for immediate and strengthened intervention from the Government of Bangladesh, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees , and the International Organization for Migration ). They urge these actors to urgently enhance protection mechanisms, increase patrols and community-based safeguarding systems, ensure rapid investigation of abduction cases, and hold perpetrators accountable.
They further appeal to , along with other child protection organizations such as , to expand emergency child protection programs, strengthen community awareness initiatives, and improve response systems for at-risk children and families.
Without urgent and coordinated action from the Government of Bangladesh, , IOM, and humanitarian partners, many families fear that child abductions, trafficking, and related crimes will continue to escalate and further endanger children living in the refugee camps in Bangladesh
For many Rohingya parents, the fear is no longer limited to displacement and hardship. Increasingly, they worry that a child who leaves home for school, religious studies, or play may never return.