A new study on sexual violence against girls in Zambian schools entitled “They are Destroying Our Futures:” Sexual Violence Against Girls in Zambia’s Schools has been released by the Avon Global Center for Women and Justice at Cornell Law School, the Cornell Law School International Human Rights Clinic, and Women and Law in Southern Africa-Zambia.

A team of faculty and students from Cornell Law School conducted interviews with Zambian government officials, school administrators, teachers, and over 100 children during two visits to Zambia. The report found that many schoolgirls in Zambia are raped, sexually abused, harassed, and assaulted by teachers and male classmates during school hours, and that girls are subjected to sexual harassment and assault on their way to and from school. This abuse causes serious physical and emotional harm to the girls, discourages them from attending school, and reinforces discrimination against girls in their families and in society at large.

The report found that few girls report the incidences of sexual abuse in school due to fears of stigma, blame, and retaliation. In addition, the girls feared that school authorities would be unresponsive to the abuse.  In fact, school and civil officials frequently failed to respond effectively and the girls were unable to obtain justice. The report demonstrates that this lack of response is a violation of Zambia’s international and regional human rights obligations. The report presents concrete recommendations to the Zambian government, its ministries, legal system actors, and to education professionals for preventing and responding to this pattern of gender-based violence.

To read the report, click here.

Compiled from: Avon Global Center for Women and Justice at Cornell Law School, the Cornell Law School International Human Rights Clinic, and Women and Law in Southern Africa-Zambia, “They are Destroying Our Futures:” Sexual Violence Against Girls in Zambia’s Schools (2012).