FORWARD FEMINISM FOUNDATION: Policy Brief
The Forward Feminism Foundation advocates for a comprehensive, enforceable international treaty to eradicate gender-based and sexual violence within educational systems, aiming to achieve true gender equity where existing policies have demonstrably fallen short.
This policy brief, developed as a written assignment for a Morals and Ethics in Diplomacy course during my study abroad at the University of Westminster in London, proposes a comprehensive, enforceable international treaty to eradicate gender-based and sexual violence (GBV/SV) within educational systems. This initiative, proposed by the conceptual Forward Feminism Foundation, aims to achieve genuine gender equity where current policies have demonstrably failed. The proposed framework emphasizes clear language, robust definitions, and an innovative bilateral enforcement mechanism to ensure accountability and drive tangible progress towards academic equality for all genders. The pervasive nature of GBV/SV in education is unequivocally morally wrong, representing a profound ethical failure in its current handling, particularly from a feminist perspective.
Forward Feminism's Foundational Principles:
The Forward Feminism organization, conceptualized for this brief, is deeply committed to achieving gender equity, guided by feminist ethics and principles of equality. Its core services include providing essential research, formulating insightful policy recommendations, and spearheading public awareness campaigns. These efforts are specifically directed towards individuals historically denied equal opportunities based on their gender and sex. The foundation encourages the adoption of universal moral frameworks, such as "Do unto others as you would have done to yourself" and "Respect difference" to guide decision-making and foster fairness.
The Persistent Challenge: Issue Analysis:
The historical narrative of oppression and violence against women endures globally, impeding genuine gender equity, especially in academic success. Despite decades of global efforts, the gender gap in education has seen only a modest four-percentage-point closure in enrollment ratios over the past 25 years. Simply enrolling women and girls is insufficient if systemic barriers prevent them from completing studies or achieving academic success.
This is a profoundly global issue, with extensive data from the United States, the United Kingdom, Africa, and West Asia demonstrating its widespread impact. Discrimination and sexual violence in education are proven deterrents, leading to lower grades, impaired interview performance, and increased dropout rates for women. Archival data illustrates the full scale of this impediment:
60 million girls are sexually assaulted on their way to or at school every year.
An estimated 246 million children experience gender-based violence in and around school annually.
Forty-one thousand girls under the age of 18 marry every day, a critical barrier to education.
A study in Mozambique found 52% of students attributed sexual abuse/violence to teachers, and 12% knew students who dropped out due to it.
US university case studies (Wolters & Smith) show victims of GBV/SV experience lower academic performance, higher academic stress, and diminished drive to remain enrolled. For example, 14.3% of rape victims ended a semester with a GPA below 2.5, compared to an overall average of 3.23.
The college dropout rate for sexual assault victims is 34.1%, significantly higher than the overall rate of 24.3%. This can lead to severe recovery challenges, including cognitive impairment, psychological disorders, and suicidal tendencies.
This pervasive violence is a primary impediment to achieving gender equity, underscoring an undeniable ethical obligation for the international community to review critically and reform policies within a robust feminist framework.
Critique of Existing International Policies:
Despite decades of policy development, current international and national policies have failed to yield proper equity in addressing violence interfering with the gender gap in education. A primary criticism is their inherent vagueness in language and profound lack of enforceability.
Limited Scope: Treaties such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR, 1948), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR, 1966), and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW, 1979) are broadly applicable but lack specificity.
Missing Protections: UDHR and ICCPR do not explicitly stress academic success, sexual consent, or direct prohibition of sexual violence. CEDAW, while specific to women's discrimination, does not comprehensively prohibit all sexual violence; its Article 10 (education) remains too vague to prevent violence effectively.
Systemic Loopholes: States and organizations exploit loopholes. In Sub-Saharan Africa, customary laws often override protections. In the US, universities inflate sexual violence reports during federal audits (44% increase) but decrease them afterward to protect funding and reputation, directly leading to increased dropout rates for victims. This systemic failure demonstrates that current policies are unethical and inequitable.
Proposed Policy Recommendations | A Framework for Change:
The Forward Feminism Foundation, as proposed in this brief, outlines a transformative new treaty designed for immediate international implementation and UN recognition, aiming to significantly reduce GBV/SV in education and close the academic gender gap.
Clarity and Precision in Language:
Personal Rights: Unequivocal establishment of fundamental personal rights, including autonomy, physical, and mental integrity, without discrimination (inspired by the US Supreme Court's pre-Roe v. Wade recognition of bodily autonomy).
Defined Violence: Meticulously define gender-based and sexual violence, referencing standards like Article 1 of the UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women.
Comprehensive Consent: Define consent as a clear, enthusiastic, immediate "yes," explicitly stating it is neither permanent nor absolute for future acts. This forms the core of a "zero-tolerance policy" with proactive deterrence and victim protection legislation.
Legitimacy and Enforceability (Bilateral Method):
Moral Obligation: The treaty formally obliges all member states, the UN, and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to report violence and uphold accountability.
Traditional Punishment: The ICJ will rigorously investigate and prosecute member states violating policies, ensuring legal consequences.
Comprehensive Reward System: Member states demonstrating equitable results (a decrease in the gender gap in academic achievements/graduation rates, as well as a verifiable decrease in GBV/SV) will receive a directly reflected decrease in tariffs on exported goods from other member states.
Enhanced Accountability: This bilateral method ensures international evaluation, pressuring institutions to report truthfully and elevating women's protections beyond solely national determination.
Conclusion:
The Forward Feminism Foundation's proposed international treaty, as outlined in this policy brief, presents a compelling framework for combating GBV/SV in educational systems. By implementing policies with specified language and robust bilateral enforcement, adopted by human rights-committed states and enforced by the UN and ICJ, this framework can achieve genuine gender equity in education, ensuring a pathway to empowerment rather than trauma.