In many low- and middle-income countries, school-related gender-based violence (GBV) and discrimination keep many young people from finishing school. Major evidence gaps persist, particularly in Francophone Africa. The goal of this project is to deepen understanding of and assess innovations that could address GBV and discrimination in school settings in Cote d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Mali.

The project focuses specifically on GBV and discrimination against (1) adolescent girls who are kept out of school due to pregnancy, and (2) gender non-conforming and LGBTQ+ youth. It explores secondary school youth experiences of school related GBV and discrimination and its impacts on their education and overall health. The project also explores and assesses several policy and practice innovations – including national and school-level policies that work to create safe and inclusive schools; workshops that address stigmatizing beliefs around gender; and digital technology to increase access to information about GBV and discrimination among youth – and the feasibility of scaling and/or adapting these to different contexts.

The project uses a youth-centered, action-oriented mixed-methods approach. It includes young people in developing solutions and disseminating findings. Perspectives from key stakeholders, including teachers, school administrators, and education policymakers, provide insight into school- and national-level policy and practice that can facilitate or impede the safety of pregnant adolescents and gender-nonconforming and LGBTQI+ youth in school settings. The project seeks to produce global public goods including interactive digital technologies.