Citation

Hossain M. Br. J. Sociol. 2024; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2024, London School of Economics and Political Science, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/1468-4446.13117

PMID

38807287

Abstract

In Bangladesh, the world's largest refugee settlement currently shelters approximately one million Rohingya refugees who fled Myanmar to escape military persecution. Educating a significant number of young Rohingya, roughly half of whom are female, presents a significant challenge. Despite the presence of learning centres (LCs) across refugee camps, Rohingya girls may encounter specific barriers to accessing education due to exposure to various risks, such as violence, child marriage, and trauma stemming from past military oppression. This paper investigates the association between these risk factors and Rohingya girls' likelihood of attending LCs, and how this association may vary across refugee camps. Using survey data and employing three-level multilevel logistic regression models, I find that girls are less likely to attend LCs if they are at risk of encountering sexual abuse, child marriage, and psychological distress or trauma. These factors explain considerable variation in girls' LC attendance between camps and between households. In addition to providing more schooling opportunities to Rohingya children, prioritising girls' safety, protecting them from forced and child marriage, and supporting their psychological well-being require increased policy attention.

Language: en

Keywords

violence; risk factors; Bangladesh; Rohingya refugee; child marriage; girls' education