Gender-based violence (GBV) is the most pervasive yet least recognized human rights violation in the world (Heise, Ellsberg, and Gottmoeller 2002). No longer only a general community issue, GBV has also infiltrated social places such as schools. Despite numerous interventions to curb GBV in general, and school-related gender-based violence (SRGBV)…

In Sweden, as in many other European countries, poor neighborhoods with ethnically diverse inhabitants and high crime rates have grown up around big cities in the last decades. We hypothesized that, compared with adolescents in advantaged neighborhoods, adolescents in disadvantaged neighborhoods would perceive their schools as relatively safe, due…

In 2003, 31% of young Kenyan women ages 15-24 reported sexual harassment and violence (SHV), with a majority experiencing sexual debut due to coercion (Central Bureau of Statistics, 2004). Data were obtained from a sample of 20 girls attending school in Kamu and Lafamu (pseudonyms used for the study sites), 10 girls who had dropped out of school,…

Sexual harassment is a significant issue in the lives of students. Understanding how young adolescents feel about sexual harassment and their coping strategies is a central element to guide school nursing interventions promoting sexual health. This study explored the sexual harassment experiences of young adolescents in Taiwan. A qualitative…

This article discusses ways on how to address the problem of sexual harassment in schools. Sexual harassment--simply defined as any unwanted and unwelcome sexual behavior--is a sensitive topic. Merely providing students, parents, and staff members with information about the school's sexual harassment policy is insufficient; schools must take…

This article reports on a small exploratory study of adolescent girls' experiences of sexual harassment and abuse while attending secondary school in Karnataka State, South India. In South Asia, public discussion of sexual matters, especially relating to children, is largely taboo, and the study uncovers a hidden aspect of schooling, which…

Publicity about youth experience of sexual harassment in schools has increased public awareness. But tacit acceptance by parents and teachers of teasing and bullying maintain an environment in which students feel unsafe. Deliberate adult intervention and inclusion of the issue in the curriculum are needed. (SK)

States that schools have legal and ethical responsibilities for creating educational environments in which all students can learn free of harassment. Presents a summary of information provided to educators by the Gay and Lesbian Education Commission of Los Angeles. Includes specific examples of harassing behavior and terminology relevant to…

Objective: To explore the impact of the school climate on adolescents' reporting of sexual harassment. Design: A quantitative survey among students in their 4th year of secondary education. Setting: Questionnaires were completed in a class setting. Method: An a-select sampling strategy was used to select 2808 students in 22 schools. Results:…

Provides a historical framework for defining peer sexual harassment as a sex discrimination issue and as a potential mental health issue. Reviews the research on teenage-peer sexual harassment. Explores a theoretical context in which to understand sexual harassment and discusses the implications for social work practice in education. (MKA)

This article provides a historical and legal framework for defining peer sexual harassment from three perspectives: sex discrimination, mental health, and sexual violence. It also identifies sexism and heterosexism as a major social violence problem in U.S. education and argues that peer sexual harassment is sexual violence with considerable…

The frequency of sexually harassing behaviors in a high school setting were examined in this study; differences with regard to gender, level of coercion, and perceptions of what is, or is not, sexual harassment are also addressed. The implication of this study is that sexual harassment is likely to occur frequently, even in secondary schools.…

This report presents the findings from a survey that was designed to a profile the problem of sexual harassment in U.S. public schools and to answer many of the questions about school-based harassment. More than 1,600 public school students in 79 schools across the continental United States in grades 8 through 11 (female and male, African…

The problem of sexual harassment in junior and senior high schools is addressed in this practicum. Its major goals were to raise the awareness and understanding of sexual harassment and to create a school environment that does not tolerate sexual harassment. It was found that both students and staff possessed a poor understanding of what defines…

This special issue of the serial SET for 1996 contains seven newly commissioned articles and four reprints all related to the education of children at risk. This issue includes: (1) "Students at Risk: An Overview" (Margaret Batten, Graeme Withers, and Jean Russell); (2) "Inquiry into Children in Education at Risk through Truancy and…