‘Right to Education of LGBTI+ Students Ignored’

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The Education and Science Workers' Union (Eğitim-Sen) has released its Year-End Report on Sexism in Education for 2018.

The report has shown that the inequalities between girl and boy children as well as sexual abuse of children have increased over the last year.

Here are some of the highlights from the report:

"Women more disadvantaged than men"

In the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, the level of education of men is lower than women. However, when Turkey is considered, the exact opposite is the case:

* In 2017, while the rate of men leaving education early in Turkey is 31 percent, the rate of women who interrupted their education is 34 percent.

* While the rate of women who are between the ages of 25 and 34 and who have not received any high school education in Turkey is 47 percent, the rate of men is 42 percent.

* When compared with other OECD countries, the country which spends the lowest amount of money per student is Turkey.

Women-men gap in youth unemployment

* When the rate of young women (between the ages of 18 and 24) who are neither employed nor receive education is considered, it can be seen that Turkey has fared worst among other OECD countries with 33.1 percent.

* While the gender gap in wages is expected to be closed in 50 years in OECD countries, the data on Turkey have indicated that the wage difference between men and women on high school level is 10 percent.

* Contrary to expectations, the gender-based wage difference in Turkey rises to 22 percent on university and higher levels of education.

Sexual offenses against children on the increase

* Throughout 2017 and in the first six months of 2018, 12,597 children have been registered as pregnant in Turkey.

* The number of offenses in lawsuits filed due to sexual abuse of children has reached to 16,348 in 2017.

* The possibility of poor girl children to get married at a young age in Turkey is 2.5 times higher than their rich peers.

* According to the Homophobia- and Transphobia-Based Hate Crimes Report for 2017, 23 of 117 hate crimes against LGBTI+ individuals were committed against children LGBTI+s and 10 of these 23 took place at schools. (EMK/SD)