An Investigative Study of the Abuse of girls in African Schools

This report presents the findings of an extension to an earlier research study carried out into the abuse of girls in junior secondary schools in Zimbabwe (Leach and Machakanja 2000). This earlier study found that girls were subjected on a routine basis to aggressive sexual advances from older male pupils and male teachers within the school and from 'sugar daddies’ in the vicinity of the school, who prey on girls for sex in exchange for money or gifts.Other forms of abuse directed at both female and male pupils were verbal abuse (often with demeaning sexual connotations when directed at girls) and excessive corporal punishment, administered by female as well as male teachers...

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