Prevalence and predictors of domestic violence among Rohingya refugee and neighboring host communities in Bangladesh

Violence against women and children is widespread globally, especially among refugees and underprivileged populations. We investigated the prevalence of violence against children (VAC) and intimate partner violence (IPV) among Rohingya refugee families and families from the neighboring host communities in Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh. We also explored the predictors of VAC and IPV. This was a cross-sectional survey embedded into the endline of a cluster-randomized controlled trial of an early childhood parenting intervention for families with children aged 6-16 months. Mothers and fathers were interviewed on their use of VAC and their attitudes towards VAC. Mothers were asked about their experience of IPV. Fathers reported on their use of IPV, their use of violence in front of children, and their attitudes to IPV. We interviewed 689 and 87 fathers from the Rohingya community, and 862 mothers and 90 fathers from the host community. In both communities, over 45% of mothers reported IPV, and over two-thirds reported VAC. Fathers reported higher levels of VAC (85.6% in host community; 77% in Rohingya community) and over a quarter reported use of IPV. In both communities, lower household wealth was associated with increased odds of mothers experiencing IPV, and mothers who experienced IPV were more than twice as likely to report use of VAC Conversely, higher maternal education increased the odds of both mother- and father-reported IPV in the Rohingya community and of father-reported IPV in the host community. Participation in an early childhood parenting intervention led to less agreement with the use of VAC by mothers in both communities, while also increasing the odds of mother-reported IPV. It is important to integrate evidence-based interventions to reduce VAC and IPV into early childhood development programs within these communities. Ensuring a combined focus on mothers and fathers is also recommended.