NO SAFE HAVEN and UNHCR to provide informal education through a parallel informal system of learning centres and madrassas. However, despite these efforts, such centres are often seriously under-resourced and lack adequate facilities, qualified teachers and teaching materials.113 Parents also struggle to afford education for their children, whether it is paying school fees, covering the costs of textbooks or other materials, or paying for transport to and from school. Lack of resources – in particular for special facilities or specialised teaching – also means that children with disabilities often miss out on education.114 While disaggregated figures for Rohingya refugees are unavailable, according to UNHCR only 30% of school-aged child refugees are enrolled in informal community learning centres.115 While Rohingya children have greater access to primary education, access to secondary education is much more challenging, in large part because of the costs associated with secondary education and the limited number of facilities. The situation underscores the impact that lack of income-generating activities has on Rohingya families. Informal education is not recognised or accredited by the government, which means that young adolescents leave learning centres without official qualifications and with limited opportunities to move on to higher education and improve their future prospects.116 With fewer children receiving secondary education, it is more likely that children (and particularly boys) will be pushed into informal, exploitative work or become involved in criminal or drugs-related activities. Of course, this then further exposes them to arrest and detention by the Malaysian authorities. As in other countries, Rohingya girls are more likely than boys to miss out on education, particularly as they approach puberty. Rohingya girls at secondary-level education are less likely to be enrolled in learning centres than boys. In 2018, UNHCR reported that of the 1,300 refugee youths enrolled in secondary education, only half were girls, and of these, just 5% were Rohingya girls.117 Cultural or community attitudes to girls’ education, expectations of support at home, and costs associated with school all play a role in this. PROTECTION CONCERNS For Rohingya living in Malaysia, a key concern is the risk of arrest and detention. While all Rohingya refugees in Malaysia are vulnerable to arrest and detention, the risks are even more acute for undocumented Rohingya, including children. Malaysian 20 authorities frequently conduct immigration raids in an attempt to round up ‘illegal’ migrants, targeting men and older boys engaged in informal work.118 Such arrests have increased in the past year, in particular as the government has imposed Movement Control Orders (MCOs) as part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.119 The detention of male relatives, who are often the primary breadwinners of the family, places Rohingya children in an even more precarious situation, exposing them to child labour, exploitation and abuse. In general, Rohingya children, women and older people are reported to be stopped less frequently than men, suggesting that there is at least some sympathy from officials. However, there is an alarming number of cases of undocumented children being detained in the country. In late October 2020, the Ministry of Home Affairs confirmed that 756 children were being held in immigration detention centres. Of these, 326 were children from Myanmar – most of them believed to be Rohingya – who were being detained without their parents or guardians.120 When undocumented children are detained, there is no distinction between them and adults, and those under the age of 12 are held in immigration detention centres with adult women, while boys who are 13 or over are held with adult men.121 There are no provisions for keeping family members together, meaning that children are often separated from their relatives. Conditions in immigration detention centres are poor, characterised by severe overcrowding, poor sanitation, insufficient access to nutritious food and healthcare and risk of physical abuse by Immigration Detention Centre (IDC) staff. In the first six months of 2020, 23 people – including two children – died while in an immigration detention centre.122 Also, children have no access to education, play, or other services to meet their specific needs.123 The situation for undocumented children in detention has become even more precarious since August 2019, as the Malaysian government has denied UNHCR access to immigration detention centres.124 The move comes in the context of a wider crackdown in immigration and has made it extremely difficult for the agency to identify and register detained children and secure their release. As of early December 2020, 457 people registered with UNHCR were reported to be held in immigration detention centres, including 62 unaccompanied and separated children.125