“What other option did I have?” – The effect of conflict and displacement on child marriage and early childbearing among displaced Rohingya adolescents

Background. Humanitarian emergencies are postulated to increase rates of early marriage and early childbearing, as drivers of both are heightened or exacerbated in crisis settings. There is a critical need for research that explores the causal mechanisms that motivate family formation, i.e. the process from marriage into childbearing, and how this process is affected by conflict and displacement. Objective. This paper aims to describe how displacement and living within a camp context has affected trends, norms, and drivers around family formation, focusing on the lived experience of female and male adolescents and young adults aged 15-24. Methods. We coded and analyzed qualitative data from forty-nine in-depth interviews and sixteen focus group discussions conducted with Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals aged 15-24 who arrived in Cox’s Bazar during or after October 2016. Results. Participants agreed that rates of child marriage have increased post-conflict and displacement and generally attributed this increase to a variety of drivers, including fears around protection, socioeconomic need, lack of education and/or employment opportunities, and a perceived loosening of restrictions around legal age of marriage within camp. While some of these are pre-existing drivers exacerbated by conflict and displacement, others are new drivers that have developed as a result. The ways that adolescents experienced each driver were also highly gendered. Conversely, conflict and displacement had seemingly little effect on cultural expectations to demonstrate fecundity immediately after marriage. Finally, participants felt that adverse living conditions within camp have significantly lowered fertility intentions and have increased adoption of family planning. Conclusions. Our results demonstrate that many Rohingya families currently view child marriage more as a practical tool to overcome challenges associated with being displaced, and early childbearing as an inevitable natural consequence of child marriage. The Bangladeshi government must ease restrictions on educational and livelihood opportunities for both adolescent girls and boys, who otherwise have no alternatives to child marriage, and few other opportunities to thrive and productively contribute to their communities.