Amnesty International recently released “Safe Schools: Every Girl’s Right,” a new report that documents how girls are denied their right to education because of violence. The report highlights the fact that gender inequality is the root and the symptom of violence against women. Forms of violence covered in the report are sexual harassment, sexual abuse and assault, physical violence, corporal punishment, trafficking and barriers due to residing within conflict-affected areas. Gender-based teasing and the threat of violence also become barriers to a girl’s education. Violence traveling to and from school, in addition to violence within school, are covered in the report. Also, groups that are usually discriminated against, including lesbians, differently-abled girls, and ethnic minorities, are more likely to be targeted.
Compiled from: “Safe Schools: Every Girl’s Right,” Amnesty International, March 2008.