2-3- Denial of basic rights to harmonious development: cases of harassment and
violence that are not challenged and ongoing, and not addressed through dissuasion
campaigns and behaviour change.
The illegal practice of early marriage continues in urban and rural areas. Girls aged 12 to 17
years are nearly 9,000 to be deprived of freedom, harmonious development, school enrolment
or stages of plays and education based on their age.
Table No. 42 Breakdown of married girls aged 12 - 17 years by urban or rural areas (in
absolute numbers)
Age group
All of Congo
Urban
Rural
communities
210
119
28
12 years
225
129
26
13 years
514
219
76
14 years
1014
436
165
15 years
2550
1136
399
16 years
4211
2108
625
17 years
Total
8724
4149
1320
Source: UNICEF, Survey on the education of girls, Brazzaville, 2006.
Rural
communities
63
74
219
403
1017
1478
3255
Even in urban areas where justice severely prevails for cases of paedophilia and abuse of
children, the weight of harassment encouraged, permitted and unpunished, and the unmet
emotional and financial needs of young girls are enough to create the conditions for early sex.
To the phenomenon of early marriage (to eliminate at all costs) is added another more
frequent phenomenon, which is more present and pressing: sexual harassment. According to
the study on the education of girls and according to girls themselves, the first solicitations are
reported at the end of primary school (12-14 years). They occur earlier and the more the girl
is involved in her studies and manages to avoid the solicitations, the later the solicitations will
occur.
Table 43 Moment of the first solicitations of men by level of study
Moment
Frequency
%
End of primary school
63
12.1
Beginning of junior secondary
286
55.1
End of junior secondary
119
22.9
Beginning of upper secondary
46
8.9
End of upper secondary
5
1.0
Total
519
100.0
Source: UNICEF, Survey on the education of girls, Brazzaville, 2006.
To the question of whether these solicitations persist for a long time, most students’ answers
were yes (86.0%). The phenomenon is more acute in rural areas but it still remains
predominant everywhere else (more than 80% according to girls). In addition, when asked
whether they felt that it was increasing. The answer was always positive among almost three
quarters of girls (74.6%).
Under these conditions (harassment and impunity) risks of teenage pregnancy and school
dropout are high.
120