Peer-reviewed article
Factors affecting child marriage and contraceptive use among Rohingya girls in refugee camps
Md Islam, MN Khan, MM Rahman ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined factors affecting child marriage and contraceptive use among Rohingya girls aged 10-19 in refugee camps in Bangladesh. Girls were married on average at 15.7 years old, with over 80% giving birth or pregnant within two years. The research found that social norms, insecurity, family honour and perceptions of maturity drove child marriage, while religious beliefs, misunderstandings about contraception and service barriers limited contraceptive use. Only 34% of girls were using contraception at the time of the study, and use was particularly rare between marriage and first childbirth.
Key points
- Average age at first marriage was 15.7 years, with over 80% of girls giving birth or pregnant within two years
- Main drivers of child marriage included social norms, insecurity, family honour concerns, and perceptions of physical and mental maturity
- Only 34% of girls reported using contraception at the time of the survey
- Contraceptive use was rare between marriage and first childbirth
- Key barriers to contraception included religious beliefs, misunderstandings about methods, and long waiting periods at health facilities
Limitations
The study is descriptive and cross-sectional, so it cannot establish causal relationships or track changes over time. The relatively small sample size (n=96 for quantitative data) and focus on girls who had already experienced child marriage limits generalisability to the broader Rohingya adolescent population.
Abstract
Background: Rohingya girls living in the refugee camps in Bangladesh are disproportionately vulnerable to child marriages and teenage pregnancies. This study examines the factors affecting child marriage and contraceptive use among Rohingya girls who have experienced child marriages. Methods: We collected and analysed quantitative and qualitative data from adolescent Rohingya girls (age 10-19 years) who experienced child marriages. The quantitative data (n=96) came from a cross-sectional survey, and the qualitative data (n=18) from in-depth interviews conducted in the world's largest refugee camp located in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. We also interviewed service providers (n=9) of reproductive healthcare services to gain their perspectives regarding contraceptive use among these young girls. We used descriptive statistics to characterise the girls’ demographic profiles, ages at their first marriages, and contraceptive use. Thematic analysis was used for the qualitative data to identify key factors influencing child marriage and contraceptive use among these girls. Findings: On average, the adolescent female participants had been 15.7 years old when they were first married. Over 80% had given birth during the two years before the survey or were pregnant during time of the data collection. The main factors that influenced child marriage were found to be perceptions regarding the physical and mental maturity for marriage, social norms, insecurity, family honour, preferences for younger brides and the relaxed enforcement of the minimum legal age for marriage. A third (34%) of the girls said they were using contraceptives on the week when the study was conducted. The desire for children, religious beliefs, misapprehension about contraception and long waiting periods in facility-based health services and current service provision were the main factors influencing contraceptive use. Depo Provera injections and pills were the dominant methods of contraception. Contraceptive use during the period between marriage and the first childbirth is rare. Interpretation: Girl child marriage is common in Rohingya camps. Contraceptive use is rare among newly married girls before they give birth for the first time. The involvement of female and male Rohingya volunteers for outreach services can be catalytic in promoting contraceptive use. Funding: La Trobe Asia, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia. Bengali translation of the abstract in Appendix 1