recognized refugees, education is provided up to the eighth grade and enrollment and attendance are estimated at 70 to 80 percent. For UMN, options are much more limited. Madah Khatu, a 43-year-old new arrival and mother of six lamented, “My children cannot study. They don’t do anything in the camps. I worry for them.” Even for those who complete their educational opportunities in the official camps, the certificates they receive are not recognized by the Government of Bangladesh, so they are unable to pursue further education. There are some cases of Rohingya refugees finding their way into higher education, but those cases are rare. expressed in comparison to the overt threats they had fled in Myanmar. As Shahida, a 16-year-old living in Kutupalong told RI, “Here we don’t have enough food, but we are safe. There we had no food and we were not safe.” In the context of the ISCG’s coordination efforts prior to the crisis, UNICEF had already begun expanding beyond its host community programs to provide pre-school and first grade classes in learning centers in the makeshift settlements. With the onset of the crisis, these efforts were accelerated, including the establishment of child safe spaces and community-based child protection networks in the makeshift settlements and the opening of a UNICEF office in Cox’s Bazar in June 2017. Underneath this veneer of safety teem a broad range of protection concerns ranging from protection from common crime and intra-communal conflict to vulnerability to gender-based violence (GBV) and organized human trafficking networks. As durable solutions are unlikely in the short to medium term, UNICEF’s opening of new learning centers in the makeshift settlements should be sustained and expanded. But even those who complete the informal education programs are not officially recognized and have no access to higher education. To address these gaps, the Government of Bangladesh should recognize certificates earned through informal education and explore expanding access to local Bangladeshi public schools. Community outreach will also be important to overcome cultural barriers among the Rohingya, cited by protection officers, like the common practice of keeping girls at home and not allowing them to attend schools past fifth grade. Spotlight on Protection Beyond the immediate food, shelter, and medical concerns, protection gaps loom large and deserve particular attention, especially as many security needs remain under-recognized and inadequately addressed. Rohingya with whom RI spoke generally expressed a feeling of relative safety in the camps, but that was usually “Here we don’t have enough food, but we are safe. There we had no food, and we were not safe”. — Shahida, 16-year-old living in Kutupalong On the day-to-day level, amid the broader stories of solidarity and welcoming of friends and relatives into shelters, are also the realities of crime and domestic abuse among an often desperate population with little to no formal security presence. Several refugees referenced recent theft, robbery, or beatings, including one of an old man by thieves just days before they spoke with RI. Humanitarian workers monitoring the community closely told RI that domestic abuse is also prevalent in the makeshift settlements, increased by the lack of livelihood opportunities. While the government-recognized refugee camps have a formal management team, police presence, and dedicated UNHCR protection officers, the makeshift settlements have little to no protection presence or recourse for abuses. Tensions have also arisen between newer arrivals and Rohingya who have been in the country longer, particularly among government-recognized refugees as well as UMN and the local host communities. Most Rohingya with whom RI spoke expressed gratitude toward the host communities and denied tensions. But further discussions with community leaders and international NGO representatives who have been carrying out house to house surveys make clear that the strains of additional people living in crowded conditions with limited resources have led to increasing concerns over inter-communal tensions. 11 www.refugeesinternational.org