Mozambican government says ban on short skirts in schools is to protect girls

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Mozambican government says ban on short skirts in schools is to protect girls

12:56 CAT | 23 Mar 2016

The Minister of Education of Mozambique, Jorge Ferrao, has come out in support of school dress codes which mandate the wearing of long skirts, saying they protect “the girl herself”.

“There are guidelines for primary and secondary school uniforms which are designed to protect the girl herself, safeguarding her integrity and making her appear decent,” Ferrao said, according to yesterday’s ‘O País’.

The education minister criticized the women’s rights activists fighting who staged a protest against the codes in Maputo on Friday which led to the temporary detention of five of their number by police.

“Adults who say do not do this or that have an organized life, have a home, have cars, have a bank account and are well off. Those children will get no job, no profession, because someone decided to protect their rights – but never made them fulfill their duties,” said Jorge Ferrao.

The women, including a Spaniard and a Brazilian, were arrested on Friday while trying to present a street theatre performance outside the Francisco Manyanga secondary school. Women’s Forum spokesperson Maira Domingos told Lusa that the women were released after seven hours in police custody.

The ban on short skirts in some schools in the Mozambican capital which came into force at the beginning of this school year has met with a mixed reception, with activists like the Women’s Forum saying that holding a type of skirt responsible for sexual harassment avoids the issue and masks the lack of serious policies to tackle to issue.

Cases of harassment, sexual abuse and rape of girls are still common in Mozambican schools, especially in remote areas where girls’ protection is still minimal. International human rights organizations have repeatedly denounced the levels of impunity enjoyed by offenders and corresponding absence of effective protection for victims.

Source: Lusa