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Human trafficking is a global issue, but over the past several years, it has gained severe momentum in Southeast Asia and in the Bay of Bengal. The persecuted Muslim Rohingya minority from Myanmar, along with refugees from Bangladesh have been reported victimized by human traffickers through sea routes in the Andaman Sea. According to Amnesty International, the refugees often experience horrendous conditions on the smuggling boats including violent torture, dehydration, and starvation.[1] The UNHCR released statistics estimating some 25,000 people risk sea crossings and 300 deaths in the first quarter of 2015 alone.[2] This number is quickly on the rise, especially through the routes to Malaysia and Thailand. The situation is also related to criminal activities of drug trafficking, money laundering, and other rampant crimes in the region. The Report on Irregular Maritime Movements in Southeast Asia states that the majority of the trafficked population originates from Myanmar's Rakhine state, often victimizing refugees through false promises of work or small cash incentives.[3] The migrants, including many children and women, are then beaten and mistreated. In addition, hundreds of people are unaccounted for in governance records and international reports.[4] Governments in the region have neither been active nor coordinated at the forefront of addressing this issue. In May 2015, the government of Indonesia pushed back boats that attempted to dock at the borders to prevent illegal passengers from disembarking.[5] Such practices have reportedly led to heightened abuse of these migrants by boat crews. The unwillingness of countries to accept the migrants by sea is worsening the living conditions for the refugees, and there is an absence of a regional approach to the issue.[6] Part of this inaction stems from a lack of political transparency within countries in this region. According to the testimonies obtained from the Burmese migrants, local political officials are complicit to the smugglers, often without a concrete mechanism to address this in the legal system.[7] Despite the inaction of state actors, the situation in the Bay of Bengal has higher priority on the agenda of international organizations. On May 19th, 2015, a joint statement was issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, International Organization for Migration (IOM), and Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Migration and Development calling on the governments of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand to "to protect migrants and refugees stranded on vessels in the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea".[8] The IOM is also engaged in humanitarian support in Thailand, Bangladesh, and Indonesia. The organization has provided migration support, temporary shelter and food, and psycho-social support.[9] In addition to the abuse of refugees’ socio-economic rights, illegal migration is also controversial in its legal jurisdiction. Issues such as maritime governance and boat identification pose pragmatic issues for all actors involved.[10] As lives perish in temporary camps in Thailand and at sea, it is critical that both state and non-state actors move swiftly. From the urgent demand for vaccination against infectious diseases to punishing police officers who abuse the system, the lucrative business of human trafficking over the Bay of Bengal is posing grave humanitarian and political concerns.[11] International and regional groups must curtail sea trafficking through concerted efforts, and ensure the welfare of the refugees who are escaping Myanmar, but finding themselves in another horrid condition.