Gender Violence and School Achievement in Mozambique

Globally, school related gender-based violence (GBV) is widespread and the rate of impunity of such crimes is very high. How can this form of violence in schools be prevented? Can improvements in information frictions of girls, boys, and teachers change social norms around tolerance and bystander behaviours? Can such changes lead to a reduction in the incidence of GBV? How does this impact school attendance, performance and school dropout? This project aims to answer these questions through a novel and large-scale in-school program in Sofala, Mozambique. The “Está na Hora de Agir!” intervention, which includes a curriculum in GBV, will be rolled out in schools along with a strengthening of in-school responses to GBV. The researchers jointly with the Ministry of Education have developed a design that aims to test the impacts of the intervention on girls, boys, and girls and boys together attending upper primary school, as well as teachers. Our research will address fundamental questions in the economics of crime, education and gender, and it is, beyond the PPE Initiative related to the CVI research scope of “interpersonal violence” and the priorities of “motivations behind participating in crime and violence” and “state capability and public service delivery."