Originally published on the CGS blog on November 11, 2015.
While the debate about parental leave rages on within the US, Amnesty International released an upsetting report last week that revealed blatant discrimination against pregnant girls in Sierra Leone. The report states: “Visibly pregnant girls in Sierra Leone are banned from attending mainstream school and taking exams. This prohibition was declared as official government policy by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology in April 2015, just before schools re-opened following the Ebola crisis.”
The ban is one more obstacle in the way of educating girls in developing countries. Amnesty notes that:
The ban on pregnant girls attending mainstream schools is being enforced, in some cases, through humiliating and degrading treatment of girls…. For example, girls have, publically, had their breasts and stomachs felt by adults on school premises to see if they are pregnant. Some girls have been compelled, by their schools, to take urine tests. Girls described acute embarrassment and fear at being subjected to this treatment when they tried to attend school or sit exams. Fear of being ‘tested’ for pregnancy and or turned away from school has meant some girls who are pregnant, stay away.
Clearly, the policy does more than deprive girls of an education. It degrades and shames those who are pregnant, particularly the girls who have been raped and sexually exploited. Girls who are not pregnant would undoubtedly be intimidated by the physical exams as well. This type of harassment prevents girls from receiving a complete education, and thus prevents them from achieving their full potential.
The ban has long-term consequences as well. The World Bank reports that women already face a “motherhood penalty” in the workplace: “One study of panel data across 97 countries estimated that, on average, a birth reduces a woman’s labor supply by almost two years during her reproductive years.” By denying pregnant women an education, their earning potential will decrease even further. As previously reported, women’s participation in the labor force is essential to a healthy economy.
Denying pregnant girls a proper education provides no social or economic benefit to Sierra Leone. It perpetuates harmful gender stereotypes and potentially eliminates a powerful segment of the future workforce.
