Beyond Gender: An Intersectional Approach to the Discrimination in Rohingya Women’s Human Rights

Abstract

The intersection of identities plays a significant role in the access to human rights by Rohingya women in refugee camps in Bangladesh. The study is based on a mixed-methods case study of Cox Bazar, with comparative Bhasan Char, in which the results are gathered by using surveys (n=320), interviews, focus groups, and secondary evidence. The results indicate that gender does not only explain the existence of inequality; the interaction of age, disability and household structure is among the main determinants of access to education, health and protection. Women with disability, female-headed families, and adolescent girls are excluded the most. Environmental risks and funding cuts are combined with structural barriers such as mobility barriers, social gate-keeping, and lack of information about disparities and exacerbate differences. There is also a considerable mismatch between the availability of the service and safe use especially in protection reporting. The paper emphasizes that universal gender solutions are inadequate and provides an indication on why intersectional and rights-based humanitarian intervention is required to make sure that the most marginalized women have equal access.