Anger as pregnant girls are banned from returning to Sierra Leone schools after Ebola

Students in Sierra Leone will soon be returning to school after the Ebola crisis 国产视频� but many girls have been told they will be barred for being pregnant.

The decision has shocked and outraged campaigners, who say it discriminates against girls and removes their right to an education.

Chernor Bah, a Sierra Leone native and Youth Engagement Officer for A World at School, said it was 国产视频渁n irrational policy for the future of our country国产视频�.

Schools in the West African country have been closed for months as a result of the deadly Ebola outbreak which also hit Guinea and Liberia and claimed more than 10,000 lives. An emergency three-day lockdown to stop a possible new spreading of the virus has just ended.

During the eight-month schools shutdown, girls have had reduced access to sexual health services, been under increased pressure to have sex for payment and been at greater risk of sexual violence.

Sierra Leone国产视频檚 Education Minister Minkailu Bah said last week that visibly pregnant girls could be stopped from taking exams or going into classrooms. And Sylvester Meheux, the chairman of the Conference of Principals, told Radio France International: 国产视频淚n our culture, in the secondary school, they don国产视频檛 allow girls who are visibly pregnant to go and take exams. We have a belief that it will encourage other girls to do the same thing.国产视频�

But Chernor Bah said many girls were 国产视频渘ot having sex out of choice国产视频�, adding: 国产视频淭here is a lot of statutory rape that国产视频檚 happening.国产视频�

Chernor Bah on a recent trip back to Sierra Leone

He said: 国产视频淚国产视频檝e heard people talk about the dignity of the uniform. Somehow if a pregnant girl wears that uniform, you undignify the uniform, which again is one of those things that I find completely baffling.

国产视频淭he biggest argument that they made to us growing up is that pregnant girls will somehow influence what they call other 国产视频榠nnocent国产视频� girls in class. So to stop them from influencing them, to stop them from somehow telling them about sex 国产视频� about sexuality, about how they even got pregnant in the first place 国产视频� is to completely isolate them from the classroom.听It国产视频檚 an irrational policy for our country and the future of our country.国产视频�

Chernor also spoke to the BBC and said Ebola had meant girls were out of school for a whole academic year. He added: 国产视频淪exual activities, especially for the poorest girls in rural areas, mostly for economic purposes, increases.国产视频� He said in areas where four or five families area living in one compound and girls are not at school, this can lead to sexual activity. This 国产视频� coupled with very low rates of using contraception 国产视频� has led to a rise in pregnancies among young girls.

Chernor said people can support the cause of education for all girls by signing his #UpForSchool Petition.

The decision to bar girls from taking the exams that are needed to move from junior to senior high school has also angered the human rights organisation Amnesty International. Its West Africa researcher Sabrina Mahtani said: 国产视频淭he government should be striving to get more girls into school, not turning them away at the door. Girls must not have their right to education and their hopes of a better life dashed because of an early and in some cases unwanted pregnancy.

国产视频淚 dread to think how schools will implement such a policy. What girl would go to school if it meant being singled out, physically examined and shamed? Schools are meant to test student国产视频檚 ability, not whether they are pregnant.国产视频�

Ms Mahtani said there had been a reported increase in sexual violence as well as a reported increase in pressure on girls to engage in transactional sex due to the very harsh economic impacts of Ebola.

She added: 国产视频淭his is not a favour [to pregnant girls], this is a fundamental human right to education. And these girls have a right not to be discriminated against, and also a right not to be stigmatised just because they国产视频檙e girls.国产视频�

Following the Ebola crisis, schools in Guinea began to reopen in January and those in Libera in February.

You can sign Chernor国产视频檚 petition here or in the form below:

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