A devastating humanitarian crisis is unfolding within Bangladesh’s Rohingya refugee camps, where systematic reductions in United States foreign assistance have precipitated alarming increases in child exploitation. According to an extensive Associated Press investigation, the January dissolution of the U.S. Agency for International Development under President Donald Trump has directly correlated with surging incidents of child marriage, labor exploitation, abduction, and recruitment by armed factions.
With over half of the 1.2 million camp inhabitants being minors, the Rohingya face severe restrictions on employment in Bangladesh while remaining unable to safely return to Myanmar—where military forces previously perpetrated genocide against them. This leaves international aid as their sole lifeline. The U.S., historically the largest humanitarian donor, slashed its 2025 contributions by nearly 50%, causing the overall Rohingya emergency response to be only half-funded.
The consequences have been catastrophic. UNICEF was forced to close 2,800 educational facilities after losing 27% of its funding, eliminating safe spaces for children. Subsequently, documented abductions quadrupled to 560 cases while child recruitment by militant groups surged eightfold to 817 cases. Verified child marriages increased by 21% and labor exploitation cases rose 17%, though officials acknowledge significant underreporting.
In response to AP’s findings, the State Department cited $168 million in assistance since Trump’s inauguration and claimed success in “burden sharing” that prompted 11 nations to increase contributions. However, they provided no evidence supporting causation between U.S. diplomacy and these funding decisions.
The human impact is embodied by Hasina (pseudonym), a 16-year-old former student whose school closure led to forced marriage. Now enduring physical and sexual abuse, she mourns her lost education and aspirations: “I dreamed of being something, of working for the community. My life is destroyed.”