Attachments
1. Summary
This research investigates the engagement that Rohingya adolescent girls have with the healthcare facilities available inside the Rohingya refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
There are 34 Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, with each camp having at least one “Health Post”, and one “Primary Healthcare Clinic” (operating 24/7). As sufficient health facility coverage has largely been achieved across the Cox’s Bazar camps, this study explores whether adolescent girls experience positive healthcare experiences and are satisfied with the services and facilities available. This study also looks at the convenience of healthcare facilities and services for this demographic, how culturally and socially appropriate they are, and whether adolescent girls are comfortable and confident to use such services.
Thus, the primary research questions this paper aims to answer are:
What are the main experiences of adolescent girls in the Rohingya camps of Bangladesh when they engage with the health services and facilities available to them?
Do these experiences promote positive health-seeking behaviour among Rohingya adolescent girls?
What unique challenges are faced by this demographic when accessing healthcare in the Rohingya camps, if any?
What are solutions to any potential challenges adolescent girls may face when accessing healthcare?
To answer these questions, the Feminist Consultation Methodology (FCM) developed by the World YWCA, underpinned by intersectional feminist theory and approaches, was utilised to conduct a qualitative study in camp-4 of the Rohingya refugee camps. The research was led and conducted by a core research team of Rohingya adolescent girls, according to the approach of the FCM, producing rich and comprehensive findings grounded in grassroots engagement and knowledge.
The data overwhelmingly found that the healthcare services within the Rohingya camps of Cox’s Bazar do not meet the needs of adolescent girls, failing to cater to the norms of Rohingya society and culture. The healthcare centres and services do not have adequate mechanisms to address the fact that adolescent girls are generally housebound and highly controlled by their family, that female medical issues (including sexual and reproductive health) are highly sensitive, and socio-cultural norms prohibit adolescent girls and women from extended stays in public spaces and areas.
This study revealed that the healthcare available to Rohingya refugees is not socio-culturally tailored to the Rohingya population, and therefore inadvertently excludes adolescent girls from these services. Multifarious intersecting factors were found to contribute to adolescent girls lacking positive health-seeking behaviours and mentality in the Cox’s Bazar camps.
The goal of the research, as defined by the core research team, was to obtain insights and findings that could help improve the healthcare engagement and experience of Rohingya adolescent girls.