8 May 2026, NIICE Commentary 12482
Nilanjana Sinha Roy
On 14 April 2026, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, along with the International Organisation for Migration, released a joint statement that more than 250 Rohingyas and Bangladeshis, including women and children, are missing and feared to be dead after their boat capsized in the Andaman Sea, according to Aljazeera. The trawler had departed from Teknaf in the Southern Bangladeshi district of Cox Bazar, heading towards Malaysia. The agencies said “heavy winds, rough seas, and overcrowding” as the reason for the sinking of the trawler. The rescued shared their horrifying experience of staying afloat for nearly two to three days, holding onto drums and pieces of wood. When interviewed, the rescued recalled seeing more than 100 passengers. But search for the victims has proven unfruitful so far, as no survivors have been found. The rescued also shared that most of the passengers had boarded to escape the doleful situation of the camps and in search of employment.
However, the major accident has not garnered much global traction. It is again buried under bigger global issues. In fact, it is yet another set of numbers that replaces people and adds to the growing list of casualties. This is not the only devastating accident; unfortunately, it is a common occurrence. The United Nations refugee agency had revealed that more than 900 Rohingya refugees died or went missing in the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea in 2025. This is a formidable number of casualties, but it has not deterred the Rohingya population as they continue to undertake such journeys, hoping to reach Malaysia or Indonesia. In 2026 alone, more than 2800 Rohingya refugees have attempted dangerous sea crossings, according to Aljazeera.
The Global Desensitisation to the Rohingya Crisis
But most of these accidents remain unseen globally. There is no general outcry, no feelings of injustice or sympathy evoked. The world simply moves on, viewing the posts and headlines with mild interest. Most media coverage on Rohingya refugees existing online is outdated, dating back to 2017-2018. Finding current studies is hard. They remain silent when questions should be raised. Rohingya refugees are one of the most persecuted minorities in the world, facing ethnic cleansing, genocide, lack of citizenship, and the poorest of living conditions since 2017, according to Amnesty International. The violence against them persists, and they are shunned wherever they appear. Basic human rights such as shelter, food, and education are denied to them, and funding and humanitarian aid are dwindling.
These instances raised certain questions. Why is there a lack of global outrage? Why is there a lack of media coverage? Why are the masses not moved anymore by the plight of Rohingya refugees? Why is there no call for justice, intervention, or remuneration? There is barely any global attention on them. This was evident when, in March 2025, the World Food Program announced that food vouchers for Rohingya refugees would be reduced from $12.50 to $6 per person, which proved dire for millions of people. Even as the crisis deepened, there were no new studies or reports on the situation.
The Reasons behind Global Desensitisation
One of the major reasons for the lack of coverage is that it is extremely hard for journalists to reach the affected areas and communities. The Myanmar authorities had completely blocked access to the region back in 2017. And since then, media attention has been dwindling. It is also a case of global apathy and negative media portrayal. Several studies, like “Global Media Sentiments on the Rohingya Crisis: A Comparative analysis of News articles from Ten countries” by Md. Sayeed Al-Zaman and Md. Harun Or Rashid has shown how Bangladeshi and Burmese media have perpetuated several negative stereotypes, painting the suffering refugee community as violent, criminal, and illegal people. They altered the trajectory of discourse, which was previously focused on persecution and humanitarian need, to showcase Rohingya refugees as threats to security and a growing pressure on the economy. While they have continued ethnical cleansing of the community, burning villages, destroying homes, mosques, and graveyards, claiming it is to counter terrorism perpetuated by the Rohingyas. The situation did not improve as the refugees started moving to camps in Bangladesh, where basic amenities were lacking, and authorities were not accommodating, but rather treated them as burdens who deserved what had been happening to them.
Global masses have been desensitised to the plight of Rohingya refugees. It had started with shock, horror, and outrage, which waned as narratives changed and local authorities started spreading prejudicial discourses, which created feelings of apathy and disinterest. The silence of the media created distance until global discussions lessened. It was normalized. Their displacement and marginalisation lost visibility, hence losing the urgent mobility that could have spurred any global humanitarian action on their behalf. This desensitisation is one of the biggest examples of global injustice.
According to the Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy, Thomas Pogge argues, such instances of global inequality, poverty, and marginalisation are caused by the current global institutional order, which is set up by the developed countries to benefit them and thus promotes global poverty and inequality. This is because developed countries have amassed huge wealth through a history of conquest, colonialism, and slavery, and thus, they have advanced in all sectors with leaps and bounds and hold considerable power in the international organizations, trade, economy, and so on.
This is also true in the case of global media. The media is not without the influence of developed countries of the Global North. They affect narratives, deciding which issues get attention and are ‘important’. They inherently shape public sentiments and interests. Algorithm systems developed in the West often carry biases of their creators and users. It influences trajectories on global issues and people’s reactions to them. The masses thus don’t pay attention to these issues, which are sidestepped out of the media spotlight. Local media channels have to fight against powerful monopolies, where issues like the Rohingya crisis get weeded out.
Conclusion
Thus, it could be said that the apathy, disinterest, and desensitization of the masses are inherent creations of such an unjust, unequal global system. The lack of media coverage and desensitization surrounding the Rohingya crisis is a structural flaw, not merely individual fatigue. It reflects media cycles that prioritize seeming ‘relevant’ and global hierarchies that determine which suffering is more consequential and which crises deserve sustained attention. It weakens humanitarian commitments.
In this sense, it is a failure of the mechanism of global justice. The fading attention on the Rohingya Crisis is not without consequences because, though the media coverage and global attention have waned, the violence, bloodshed, and poverty remain prevalent. Lack of attention gives power to the perpetrating authorities so they can continue with their genocidal eradication and displacement of an entire community. It also lightens any pressure that may fall on global organizations and developed countries to reach out, intervene, and assist. Thus, it is rooted in the international system that normalizes the suffering of the Rohingyas. It is a failure to challenge the structures that let such suffering persist.
Nilanjana Sinha Roy is a Post Graduate Student in the Department of Political Science at the University of North Bengal, India.
