Numerous minors from Rohingya are forced into abusive marriages in Malaysia

17-12-2023

Yasemin Beyza Uçar

South and East Asia Human Rights Researcher

Global Human Rights Defence

A 14-year-old girl from Rohingya is living in a nightmare. She stays in a small bedroom in Malaysia, where her 35-year-old husband rapes her almost every night. This girl sacrificed herself approximately one year ago by marrying a man she had never met before. All this sacrificed, only to save her family on a journey from Myanmar to Malaysia. Nonetheless, this sacrifice to get an arranged marriage was not her choice, especially since she is too young for such a decision. But the circumstances of her family, seeing them impoverished and terrified of Myanmar’s military, got her into this situation. In such a desperate case, this girl’s neighbor found a man in Malaysia, who would give her 3,800 USD to get to Malaysia and after their marriage, she would be able to send her family money for food. The 14-year-old girl was then picked up with many other children to be trafficked (The Associated Press, 2023).

Many underaged girls are fleeing violence and starvation in the refugee camps of Myanmar and Bangladesh, only to end up in forced abusive marriages with older men in Malaysia. The 14-year-old girl mentioned in an interview that she wants to be back home, but that she does not see a way out of her current situation. She also stated quietly that she feels trapped. 

The Associated Press interviewed twelve minor Rohingya brides, including the youngest one who is only 13 years old. In these interviews, all the girls stated that they were being held hostage and that their husbands did not allow them to get out of the house. Many of them were already abused by their traffickers on their way to Malaysia. Around six of those minors who are too young to be a mother are pregnant or have babies already. None of them were prepared for this (Kristen Gelineau, 2023).

This is the most recent tragedy inflicted on the Rohingya girls. These child marriages are just added to the history of violent attacks by security forces, who systematically raped them and tortured them with years of hunger in the filthy refugee camps of Bangladesh. There is currently no country that would offer the necessary amount of resettlement opportunity (Kristen Gelineau, 2023).

As a consequence, more and more Rohingya are fleeing, especially females. The humanitarian organization ‘Save the Children’ stated that one of the largest worries among camp residents is child marriage. Shaheen Chughtai, Save the Children’s Regional Advocacy and Campaigns Director for Asia also mentioned that there is a clear increase in child trafficking (The Associated Press, 2023).

Sources and further readings:

The Associated Press. (2023, December 13). Scores of underage Rohingya girls forced into abusive marriages in Malaysia. NBC News. Retrieved December 17, 2023, from  https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/-feel-trapped-scores-rohingya-girls-forced-marriage-rcna129470

Kristen Gelineau. (2023, December 13). 'I feel trapped': Scores of underage Rohingya girls forced into abusive marriages in Malaysia. ABC News. Retrieved December 17, 2023, from  https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/feel-trapped-scores-underage-rohingya-girls-forced-abusive-105612815

Kristen Gelineau. (2023, December 13). ‘I feel trapped': Scores of underage Rohingya girls forced into abusive marriages in Malaysia. AP News. Retrieved December 17, 2023, from  https://apnews.com/article/rohingya-refugees-bangladesh-myanmar-malaysia-migration-f481e725f97d1b004a474e5facb10144