Gender-Based Violence in Schools and Girls’ Education: Experimental Evidence from Mozambique

64 Pages Posted: 11 Dec 2024

See all articles by Sofia Amaral

Sofia Amaral

World Bank

Aixa Garcia-Ramos

University of Passau

Selim Gulesci

Trinity College Dublin

Sarita Ore-Quispe

Columbia University

Date Written: November 20, 2024

Abstract

Gender-based violence (GBV) at schools is a pervasive problem that affects millions of adolescent girls worldwide. In partnership with the Ministry of Education in Mozambique, we developed an intervention to increase the capacity of key school personnel to address GBV and to improve students’ awareness as well as proactive behaviors. To understand the role of GBV on girls’ education, we randomized not only exposure to the intervention but also whether the student component was targeted to girls only, boys only, or both. Our findings indicate a reduction in sexual violence by teachers and school staff against girls, regardless of the targeted gender group, providing evidence of the role of improving the capacity of key school personnel to deter perpetrators. Using administrative records, we also find that in schools where the intervention encouraged proactive behavior by girls, there was an increase in their school enrollment, largely due to an increased propensity for GBV reporting by victims. Our findings suggest that effectively mitigating violence to improve girls’ schooling requires a dual approach: deterring potential perpetrators and fostering a proactive stance among victims, such as increased reporting.

Keywords: gender-based violence, schooling

JEL Classification: O120, J160, I250

Suggested Citation

Amaral, Sofia and Garcia-Ramos, Aixa and Gulesci, Selim and Ore-Quispe, Sarita, Gender-Based Violence in Schools and Girls’ Education: Experimental Evidence from Mozambique (November 20, 2024). CESifo Working Paper Series No. 11506, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5051049 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5051049

Aixa Garcia-Ramos

University of Passau ( email )

Innstrasse 27
Passau, 94032
Germany

Selim Gulesci

Trinity College Dublin ( email )

Sarita Ore-Quispe

Columbia University ( email )

3022 Broadway
New York, NY 10027
United States

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