Protection and the sense of safety of students enrolled in an accelerated education program in the Dadaab refugee camp

This article aims to fill a gap in the literature regarding violence against students in humanitarian crisis contexts by comparing the risk perceptions of young refugees during the time they were out of school to the time they were enrolled in an educational program. Through this comparison, the article aims to generate deeper reflection on the pervasive assumption that education protects. It argues that this is not necessarily the case, or at least that the reality is much more complex. This research used a mixed method with a sequential exploratory design, which allows to give priority to data, lived experience, and the field. Consequently, this article presents a case study of the accelerated education program in Dadaab refugee camp. The results showed that being enrolled in school can reduce the perception of some risks, but increase others, such as physical assault and gender-based violence.