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Pregnancy is also a serious effect of sexual harassment at school. Of thosestudents who reported knowing at least one classmate who had becomepregnant, over three quarters (78 percent) believed a teacher to be the fatherin at least one case. These responses show that, based on the sample ofstudents in this study, Beninese students at least perceive gender-based violenceto be a serious problem in their schools.What are the spillover effects of school-based gender violence on girls generally?Many respondents complained that teacher-student sexual relationshipscreate the impression that all girls are the same, breeding resentmentin boys and exposing other girls to harassment at school. One student putit particularly well. “Because some girls go out with teachers to get goodgrades, this hurts the rest of us. The boys risk confounding all the othergirls in the class, especially those who do well in school, with those who are16
friends with teachers.” <strong>Girls</strong> also reported that boys often accuse them ofsleeping with teachers, suggesting that some boys balk at believing a girlcan do well at school, surpassing their own per<strong>for</strong>mance. “Boys sometimesaccuse girls of being ‘friends’ with the teacher when they see that a girl hastaken what they think is their place among the passing grades,” one studentsaid. Such accusations implicitly assert a lack of equality between boys andgirls, and girls’ academic successes are characterized as sexual rather thanintellectual.How are cases of gender-based violence at school addressed? If the widespreadharassment and gender violence in schools were not disturbingenough, the way cases are handled reveals that school authorities fail to takeit seriously. Few students believe that punitive measures are ever taken incases where a student or family complains of teacher misconduct. Whilealmost 80 percent of girls reported that teachers who pursue relationshipswith students should be fired, and that mediation by the school authoritiesshould also occur, most students reported that, especially in cases of studentpregnancy, the implicated student often drops out, the teacher apologizesto the family, or nothing happens at all. In some cases, the teacher is transferredto another school.Students themselves often say nothing to authorities, feeling that to report ateacher would be futile. “Who would I tell in the school administration if itis a teacher who has harassed me? They will protect their teachers and tell17
Page 2 and 3: AcknowledgementsThanks to May Rihan
Page 5 and 6: While student-student bullying and
Page 7 and 8: While highlighting a phenomenon tha
Page 9 and 10: Research MethodsTwo large provincia
Page 11 and 12: Research FindingsDuring the girls
Page 13 and 14: Who is typically responsible for th
Page 15 and 16: Why do girls become involved with t
Page 21 and 22: Looking Ahead —Strategies to Make
Page 24: © Jacob Silberberg/Panos PicturesA

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