How education reform exacerbates sexism
Firing thousands of female teachers and expelling black girls props up patriarchy
The National Interest: Once a month, this column is tackling broader questions about what the country should do about gaps in achievement and opportunity, especially for boys of color, in a partnership with The Root.
Tucked away from the hoopla and ruckus of the Democratic National Convention at a quaint restaurant a few miles away, approximately 200 people gathered at “Rights4Girls at the DNC” to rally around issues ostensibly washed out in the convention hall.
Instead of red, white and blue streamers, the room was festooned with art and info-graphics, which described the state of girls and women in the United States. A picture inspired by a 12-year-old girl who was trafficked for sex in California was put up for auction. A poster read, “Girls are the fastest growing segment of the juvenile justice system.”
“One of the priorities that we would add to a platform for marginalized young women and girls is to dismantle the sexual abuse to prison pipeline that’s criminalizing our girls, in particular our girls of color, for being victims of sexual abuse,” said Yasmin Vava, executive director of Rights4Girls.
The event did more than simply highlight injustices suffered by school-aged girls, it launched a new campaign that illustrates how school reform often ends up making those injustices worse. Our society is so weighted by the gravity of sexism that our laws, “solutions” and “reforms” contribute to the victimization of those we are supposed to protect.
During the event, Vava and honored guests spoke to the criminalization of victims of child sex trafficking in the United States. Speakers made clear there should be no difference between abusing a child and paying to abuse a child through prostitution. In many states trafficked children aren’t always protected by statutory rape laws. There is no such thing as a child prostitute; it’s How education reform exacerbates sexism: