Abstract
Child marriage among Rohingya refugees living in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, is driven by economic strain and deep-seated gender norms. Mounting evidence shows the harmful effects of child marriage, and SDG 5.3 underpins a global impetus to eliminate it. Our mixed-methods research across refugee camps in Ukhia and Teknaf Upazilas included quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews (IDIs) with married and unmarried girls and their parents, and focus group discussions (FGDs) with parents of married and unmarried girls, boys, and community members to understand Rohingya perspectives on child marriage, the role of norms in displacement, and how married girls’ capabilities are impacted by their marital status. We find that married girls face increased gender-based violence (GBV) risks, including intimate partner violence (IPV), and greater mental distress. While norms are shifting for older Rohingya women, married girls are excluded from social participation or personal growth beyond the household. We argue that involving married girls in community activities and vocational training designed according to local market needs may empower married girls.
Highlights
Child marriage, defined as marriage before the age of 18, is a recognised form of gender-based violence (GBV) and can perpetuate other forms of GBV (Girls Not Brides and ICRW 2016)
Real or perceived insecurity for adolescent girls in refugee settings results in earlier marriage to safeguard their honour and purity, which may be jeopardised if left unmarried (Presler-Marshall 2020; CARE International UK 2015; Freccero and Whiting 2018; Save the Children 2019; Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC) 2016; UNFPA 2017; United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) et al 2018; Mazurana and Marshak 2019; Girls Not Brides 2018)
Our findings illustrate twofold attitudes towards child marriage: on one hand, entrenched gender norms centred on seclusion and getting married have been reproduced within the ‘doxa’ (Bourdieu 1977) such that marriage continues to be the predominant concern for girls as they seek to maintain purdah and transition into adulthood
Summary
Child marriage, defined as marriage before the age of 18, is a recognised form of gender-based violence (GBV) and can perpetuate other forms of GBV (Girls Not Brides and ICRW 2016). A recent study conducted by UNFPA and UNICEF reported that gender discrimination, inadequate implementation of laws and camp policies, and economic insecurity are the key drivers that influence Rohingya life in the camp setting and contribute to an enabling environment for child marriage (Leigh et al 2020). The most recent influx, which began in August 2017, dwarfed previous outflows, and in a few months, more than 740,000 Rohingya had crossed the border into Bangladesh. They settled into 32 camps located in Ukhia and Teknaf, two flood-prone sub-districts of Cox’s Bazar (Ibid)
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