Deep cuts to American foreign aid, spearheaded by President Donald Trump, have triggered a humanitarian catastrophe for Rohingya children in Bangladesh, forcing girls into abusive marriages and pushing boys into dangerous labour. The closure of thousands of schools and youth centres has stripped away vital protections, leaving an entire generation vulnerable to exploitation and trafficking.
A Childhood Stolen: From Classroom to Captivity
For 17-year-old Hasina, a Rohingya refugee, her school was more than a place of learning; it was a sanctuary. After fleeing Myanmar in 2017 following her father's death, the classroom shielded her from the dangers of the crowded camp and from being forced into marriage. That protection vanished in June when her teacher announced the school was closing due to lost funding.
"I dreamed of being something, of working for the community," says Hasina, whose full name is withheld for her safety. "My life is destroyed." With her education abruptly ended, her family, fearing increased hardship from wider aid reductions, quickly arranged her marriage. She is now trapped with a husband who beats and sexually abuses her, isolated from her family and her dreams of becoming a teacher.
Hasina's story is tragically common. The sudden dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and funding reductions from other donors have shuttered essential services. Verified cases of child marriage rose by 21% and child labour by 17% in the year to September, compared to the same period last year, according to UNICEF.
Spiralling Violence and Lost Generations
The consequences of defunding child protection programmes are severe and quantifiable. With no safe spaces to learn or play, children are increasingly targeted. UNICEF reports that between January and mid-November 2025, reported abductions and kidnappings in the camps more than quadrupled to 560 children. There has also been an eightfold increase in reports of armed groups recruiting children for support roles.
Patrick Halton, a UNICEF child protection manager, states the link is clear: "Obviously, if children are not in learning centers... then they’re more vulnerable to this." The agency itself lost 27% of its funding, forcing it to close nearly 2,800 schools.
Showkutara, executive director of the Rohingya Women Association for Education and Development, reports a surge in the prostitution of girls as young as 12 and an increase in trafficking. "After the school closures, they had no space to play... There are some groups who are targeting the children," she says. For many, like Hasina, the damage is permanent; even if schools reopen, they will never be allowed to return.
The Crushing Weight of Survival
For boys, the loss of education often means a descent into gruelling, exploitative work. Ten-year-old Mohammed Arfan now spends ten hours a day, seven days a week, selling snacks on a dusty roadside. His school closure ended his dreams and forced him into labour to help feed his seven siblings. "I feel shame working," he whispers. "This is the time I should be studying."
Thirteen-year-old Rahamot Ullah wades waist-deep in sewage-clogged drainage ditches, scavenging for plastic to sell. He risks drowning and infection, all to earn roughly 40 pence a day, hoping to save enough for private lessons. His injured eye, pierced by bamboo, is a stark testament to the dangers.
The aid cuts extend beyond education, crippling healthcare, nutrition, and sanitation. The World Food Programme warns it only has enough funds to provide food rations through March 2026. This desperation fuels risky escape attempts. Nearly a third of the 1,340 Rohingya who fled Bangladesh by boat this year have died or gone missing, according to the UN Refugee Agency.
Broken Promises and Stolen Futures
The US State Department, in a statement, said the Trump administration had "advanced burden sharing" and that 11 other countries had increased funding by over 10%. However, it did not provide evidence that US diplomacy directly influenced these decisions. The overall Rohingya emergency response remains only 50% funded for 2025.
The human cost contradicts political assurances. While US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Congress "No one has died" due to USAID's dissolution, The Associated Press found children in Myanmar have starved to death following the cuts. A study in The Lancet estimated the US funding cuts could result in over 14 million deaths globally by 2030.
The tragedy is epitomised by the story of 13-year-old Mohammed, who was kidnapped by traffickers after his school closed. His father, Mohib Ullah, received a terrifying call from his son on a boat. After weeks of silence and a ransom demand of 380,000 taka (£3,100), Ullah managed to scrape together the money to secure his son's release in Malaysia, where the boy now remains, alone and adrift.
"If he could have continued his studies, he could have been a teacher, he could have stayed near me," Ullah says, voice cracking. "Now he’s left me and I can’t see him. So I lost my dream, too." In Mohammed's empty shelter, his school backpack hangs from a bamboo pole, gathering dust—a silent symbol of a future abandoned.
