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Scholarships for virgins holds girls to a different sexual standard than boys - LHR

Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) is concerned about the Maidens Bursary Award from the UThukela District Municipality‚ describing it as unfair discrimination that entrenches gender inequality and classism.

The bursaries are the idea of UThukela District Mayor‚ Dudu Mazibuko. Municipality spokesperson‚ Jabulani Mkhonza‚ said the bursaries were intended to encourage young girls to “stay pure” and focus on their education. So far‚ 16 girls have been awarded these bursaries because they were still virgins‚ as allegedly confirmed through traditional virginity testing.

 “Sixteen of these bursaries went to the girls for still being virgins. However‚ in order to keep their bursaries‚ these maidens will have to undergo a check-up every holiday. If they lose their virginity‚ then the bursary gets taken away‚” Mkhonza was quoted as saying.

The LHR said: “The Maidens Bursary scheme is extremely worrisome‚ as a government initiative based on an arbitrary‚ dubious physical characteristic that has no basis in medical science and is often the subject of social stigma“.

“It further entrenches gender inequality by holding girls to a different sexual standard than boys‚ and rewarding conformation with a harmful stereotype entirely unrelated to academic potential and the right to education‚ under the guise of public health considerations.

In addition to discriminating against girls‚ the scheme also fails to treat girls of the same age equally‚ providing opportunities only for those of a certain conscience‚ belief or sexual orientation. The bursaries are also likely to favour more affluent recipients who do not have to consider transactional sex for economic survival‚ and who are able to live in safer environments.”

The LHR statement said unfair discrimination violates the right to equality‚ which is entrenched in our Constitution‚ other domestic laws‚ and such international instruments as the African Charter of Human and People’s Rights and the Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women‚ which South Africa has ratified.

Sanja Bornman of the Lawyers for Human Rights Gender Equality Programme commented: “It is unacceptable to make government bursaries of any sort contingent on ‘virginity’‚ much less exclusively female ‘virginity’. It may be well-intentioned‚ but it is a wholly inappropriate and discriminatory policy‚ especially in a country with high levels of sexual violence where sex is not always a choice‚ and during a time we have seen how many young South Africans thirst for an affordable tertiary education.”

Jacob van Garderen‚ Director of Lawyers for Human Rights‚ said‚ “Combatting stigma has been at the centre of South Africa’s fight against the spread of HIV‚ while abstinence campaigns elsewhere have failed time and again. Educating and empowering of young people to make responsible choices will always be more effective than policing sexualities.”

 

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