RAISA Human Rights and Media Research

RAISA team implemented human rights documentation and media monitoring for 8 months in 2024. RAISA volunteers from Northern and Central Rakhine together with volunteers from Bangladesh documented ongoing human rights violations and monitor both mainstream and social media accounts of portrayal on Rohingya related issues. We systematically collect both primary and secondary data through the project period and produce 8 monthly reports. 

The executive summary of our findings are as followings: 

Key findings from media monitoring include:

1. Media monitoring reveals limited coverage of human rights violations against Rohingya. Attacks on Rohingya, as well as violations such as forced displacement and forced recruitment, are underreported or dismissed. During the monitoring period from May to December 2024, Rakhine-based media primarily reported human rights violations committed by the Myanmar Military or Rohingya insurgent groups but remained silent on abuses perpetrated by the Arakan Army.

2. Media demonstrate bias against Rohingya and Muslims. Majority of the media relies heavily on the Arakan Army’s information desk as a primary source, and Rakhine-led media outlets such as Narinjara, Development Media Groups, Arakha Times, Border News Agency and Western News exhibited clear biases in their coverage of Rohingya-related events. These outlets frequently used the term “Islamic terrorists” (for insurgent groups), and “SAC sided Rohingya extremists” (for Rohingya forcibly recruited by the Myanmar Military). In contrast, these outlets never used terms like “Rakhine terrorists” or “Buddhist extremists” to describe Rakhine armed groups which ally with the Myanmar Military. This language reflects not only deep-rooted Islamophobia and racial discrimination but also the influence of the Arakan Army’s rhetoric.

3. There were no professional or major media outlets led by Rohingya journalists reporting from within Rakhine State. Instead, most Rohingya perspectives were shared through the social media accounts of prominent Rohingya human rights activists.

4. Both mainstream media and social media platforms contained misinformation related to events in Rakhine State. A common form of visual misinformation involved the reuse of old photos of human rights violations to depict new human rights violations. These misleading images initially circulated on Facebook and were later picked up by mainstream media, further distorting public perception of ongoing events. 

Key findings from human rights documentation include:

1. Since the resumption of war in Rakhine State in November 2023, Rohingya have experienced a new and brutal wave of violence. Rohingya face atrocities from the Arakan Army, including mass killing, as well as forced conscription, sexual violence, and everyday insecurity at the hands of multiple armed actors, including the Myanmar Military and Rohingya militias.

2. Rohingya persecution is deeply intertwined with land dispossession, reflecting what many participants see as an ethnic cleansing attempt by the Arakan Army. Rohingya families are trapped between violence and deprivation and subject to new forms of restriction, extortion and taxation at the hands of the AA, driving many to leave Rakhine.

3. Human trafficking brokers connected with armed groups, including the AA, facilitate displacement by relocating Rohingya beyond Myanmar for large sums, reaping profits in the process.

4. Everyday survival is extremely tenuous for Rohingya. From Bangladesh to Buthidaung to Yangon, Rohingya people are currently suffering insecurity, humanitarian emergency, loss of livelihoods, and deprivation of education and health services. These sufferings are compounded by discrimination and onerous taxation in AA-controlled areas. Yet they are rarely reported in the media.


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