“It’s Happening to our Men as Well”: Sexual violence against Rohingya men and boys

The Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC) conducted an exploratory qualitative study to examine the nature and characteristics of sexual violence perpetrated against Rohingya men and boys in Myanmar and in Cox’s Bazar District, Bangladesh, and to evaluate male survivors’ access to services in Bangladesh. The study also probed intersections with violence against Rohingya women and girls. In July 2018, two WRC researchers undertook fieldwork in four sections of Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar District, Bangladesh. Methods included key informant interviews with 45 humanitarian responders and human rights experts and 21 focus groups with 109 refugees, including adolescent boys and girls, young men, men and women, older men, and men with physical and intellectual disabilities. Data were coded and analyzed thematically using NVivo 12, a qualitative data management software. The University of New South Wales granted ethics approval for this study.