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

Abstract

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 norms and drivers around family formation, focusing on the lived experience of female and male adolescents and young adults. 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 largely agreed that rates of child marriage have increased post-conflict and displacement. They attributed this increase to a variety of drivers, including fears around protection, socioeconomic need, lack of education and employment opportunities, and a perceived loosening of restrictions around legal age of marriage within camp. While some of these were pre-existing drivers exacerbated by conflict and displacement, others were new drivers that developed as a result. The ways that adolescents and young adults experienced each driver were 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 cultural acceptance and adoption of family planning. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that many Rohingya families view child marriage as a practical tool to overcome challenges associated with being displaced, and early childbearing as an inevitable natural consequence of child marriage. The Government of Bangladesh must ease restrictions on income-generating opportunities as well as continue working with humanitarian organizations to provide and fund education and skills-building opportunities for both adolescent girls and boys, who otherwise have no alternatives to child marriage and few other opportunities to productively contribute to their communities. © The Author(s) 2025.