Jannat was born in Myanmar’s Rakhine State in 2005. To escape mass-scale violence and ethnic cleansing, her family took refuge in Bangladesh with thousands of other Rohingya families.
She eventually became pregnant at age 18 and then overcame a long hurdle to live a happy life in a Rohingya camp.
Jannat is not alone in this struggle. In the refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar, a lot of girls are facing similar problems. A survey by Australia’s La Trobe University on married children found that 53.3% of Rohingya girl children had given birth, 35.42% were pregnant and only 10.42% had never been pregnant or given birth.
Dhaka Tribune could not find any data on unmarried adolescent pregnancies.
However, some studies pointed out that unmarried pregnancy is taboo in the Rohingya community.
Jannat’s story
Having found refuge in a camp in Cox’s Bazar with her family, when she turned 17 in 2022, Jannat became involved in a romantic relationship with a man named Anwar, another Rohingya refugee living in the same camp.
Her life turned upside down when she discovered she was pregnant a year later.
Anwar, on the other hand, left for a third country instead of taking responsibility as a father.
Jannat gave birth to a child in August and is staying with her parents to care for her son as the father is not in the picture.
Physical and mental health problems
Experts say childbearing during the teenage period can be risky for both the mother and the child.
Dr Fahmida Naz, assistant professor at Mugda Medical College Hospital, told Dhaka Tribune that pregnancy at an early age could lead to several health complications, adding that the risk of preterm labour and obstructed labour was significantly higher in this type of pregnancy.
The rate of caesarian sections is also higher in adolescent pregnancy.
Fahmida said children born to adolescent mothers could suffer from malnutrition after birth.
According to her, such mothers will also have an increased chance of suffering from cervical cancer due to pregnancy at an early age.
Early pregnancy causes mental health issues as well.
Fahmida said if the mother herself was a child, the difficulties of raising a child were much higher, leading to mental health issues.
Meanwhile, Jannat said that before her relationship with Anwar, her mental health had been quite good.
“I would become desperate if I did not see him,” she added.
Jannat said she became extremely frustrated when Anwar left her for Malaysia. “It was devastating both physically and mentally.”
Stigma of unmarried pregnancy
Unmarried pregnancies in Rohingya camps are socially stigmatized. Therefore, abortion services for unmarried adolescent girls are rare, if at all available.
According to a study, procuring birth control pills from pharmacies usually occurs in “secret.”
It quoted a participant who said women who had secret affairs might consult a doctor in secret for an abortion.
The combination of unmarried pregnancy and being a mother at an early age posed a double threat for Jannat.
However, Save the Children in Bangladesh intervened and provided comprehensive support to help her rebuild her life.
The organization ensured care for her and her child, including legal aid that enabled her to receive compensation from Anwar’s family.
Jannat expressed gratitude to Save the Children for all the support the organization had given her, adding that she now hoped to live a peaceful and better life along with her son.
She said she was resilient enough to spread awareness to other girls. “I want other girls of my age to be aware of their rights, make good decisions and prevent child marriage in their communities.”