Women in IDP camps located in areas controlled by the Myanmar junta are becoming prime targets for human traffickers, according to anti-human trafficking activists.
As the conflict between the Arakan Army (AA) and the junta escalates, more than ten displaced women from Sittwe and Kyaukphru, which remain under junta control, have been trafficked and forced into marriage with Chinese men.
Among the trafficked women, ten are from Sittwe Township, three from Kyaukphru Township, and one from Kyauktaw Township’s Apauk Wa Village. Their ages range from 15 to 38 years old.
The women were reportedly lured by a 30-year-old man named Ko Aung Aung, who works at the Nazi Market in Sittwe. They were temporarily housed in a residence in Sittwe’s Danyawaddy Ward before being transported to Yangon by air.
“It’s a human trafficking network. They operate in groups, primarily selling women into forced marriages in China. Displaced women and those from impoverished backgrounds are their main targets,” an anti-human trafficking activist told Border News Agency.
The trafficking network specifically targets displaced and impoverished women, luring them before transporting them via air from Sittwe and Kyaukphru. According to victims, traffickers handle everything, including travel expenses and flight tickets, to facilitate the sale.
The women were deceived with promises of jobs in Yangon before being trafficked through Yangon to the Chinese border, according to anti-human trafficking activists.
Fourteen of these women were intercepted near the Chinese border and are now being sheltered at a rehabilitation center in Myitkyina.
Authorities and aid workers are in contact with their families and are making arrangements to reunite them once communication is established.
“Most parents and families don’t even realize their daughters have been trafficked. They believe they simply went to Yangon for work. Limited phone and internet access also make it difficult to communicate. Some of the victims are mothers, including single mothers. It seems the Chinese buyers want them for childbirth,” an aid worker told Border News Agency.
Since the start of the Arakan Army’s decisive offensive, the junta has blocked all land and water routes in Arakan. However, flights to Yangon remain operational, allowing trafficking networks to exploit the situation.
Despite the ongoing conflict between the Arakan Army (AA) and the Myanmar junta, the junta continues to operate regular flights to Sittwe and Kyaukphru. These routes are being exploited to traffic displaced and impoverished women, who are seen as prime targets for human trafficking.
However, some cases have also emerged of women from AA-controlled areas being affected by trafficking. Women’s rights activists emphasize the need for awareness campaigns against human trafficking and vocational training programs for displaced women to help them secure alternative livelihoods.
