School-Related Gender-Based Violence

An estimated 246 million girls and boys are harassed and abused in and around school every year. Girls are particularly vulnerable to school-related gender-based violence (SRGBV), which often stems from deeply rooted cultural beliefs and practices, power imbalances and gender norms. SRGBV is both a violation of human rights and a serious barrier to learning […]

— July 21, 2015

An estimated 246 million girls and boys are harassed and abused in and around school every year. Girls are particularly vulnerable to school-related gender-based violence (SRGBV), which often stems from deeply rooted cultural beliefs and practices, power imbalances and gender norms. SRGBV is both a violation of human rights and a serious barrier to learning and to educational attainment.[2]

At its most extreme, the physical health consequences of forced sexual intercourse include exposure to sexually transmitted diseases as well as unwanted conception, high-risk adolescent pregnancy and childbirth, and unsafe abortions.[3]

The extent to which children are exposed to school‐related gender‐based violence (SRGBV) was brought to the attention of the international community by two studies commissioned by the United Nations Secretary‐General in the past decade: the Global Study on Violence against Children and the In‐depth Study on All Forms of Violence against Women, both published in 2006.

In this Trending Topic, we present a selection of tools and program materials that you may find useful in your own work in the area of SRGBV. We encourage you to share your own materials with the Health COMpass – simply register and contribute.


Footnotes

  1. School-related gender-based violence prevents millions of children from reaching their academic potential.
  2. School-Related Gender-Based Violence (SRGBV) UNGEI – UNESCO Discussion Paper November 2013.
  3. Standing Together to End School-related Gender-based Violence (SRGBV), United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative. Retrieved from: http://www.ungei.org/news/247_srgbv.html on 9/7/15.

BANNER PHOTO: This drawing of a school was made by girls in Zimbabwe, on which they have placed green and red stickers. Green stickers indicate places where they feel safe, red stickers where they feel at risk. Retrieved from: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/cie/projects/completed/genderviolence/schoolagirls