Transactional sex or Sexual Exploitation? Congolese refugee girls seeking schooling in Nyarugusu Refugee Camp, Tanzania

This study seeks to examine/investigate study is about Congolese refugee Adolescent girls in Nyarugusu Camp in Tanzania who are negotiating successful completion of their schooling. The study looks at how they exercise their agency, facing exploitation, in relation to sexual bribery with older men or teachers in particular. Working on this sensitive topic in the environment of the refugee camp was not straightforward. To investigated whether their relations are closer to transactions sex or exploitative sexual abuse, around 16 interviews were conducted, including 5 with NGO workers, and 4 with teachers, 4 self-organisers and 3 with adolescent refugee girls out of school. Further, 14 adolescent refugee Congolese girls were involved in two focus group discussions. In total they make a number of 30 respondents. The main finding of the study was the access to educational facilities were free for the refugee teenage girls, they faced a big risk of sexual exploitation. The study found that the girls were often obliged to engage in transactional sex, arose when it came to passing exams and being able to progress through school towards graduation. Overall, the study found that the line between transactional sex and exploitative sexual abuse is not as clear as the concepts of agency and exploitation would imply.