Transgender teens with restricted bathroom access at higher risk of sexual assault

Transgender and gender-nonbinary teens face greater risk of sexual assault in schools that prevent them from using bathrooms or locker rooms consistent with their gender identity, according to a recent study.

Researchers looked at data from a survey of nearly 3,700 U.S. teens aged 13-17. The study found that 36% of transgender or gender-nonbinary students with restricted bathroom or locker room access reported being sexually assaulted in the last 12 months, according to a May 6, 2019 CNN article. Of all students surveyed, 1 out of every 4, or 25.9%, reported being a victim of sexual assault in the past year.

“Unfortunately, kids’ access to restrooms and locker rooms has become very politicized in some communities,” said Gabriel Murchison, PhD candidate in population health sciences at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and lead author of the study. Murchison noted that although the study only shows an association, not whether the restrictions themselves caused the sexual assaults, “they are certainly a strong indicator of environments where kids are at risk.”

In an NBC News article, Murchison suggested that the issue can be addressed with “better supervision of lockers rooms, more privacy options (like curtained changing areas), and an effective and consistent school response to harassment.”

Sierra Leone: NCP Presents Annual Report To President Bio

The National Commission for Privatisation (NCP) has presented their 2017 annual report to His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio during a short ceremony at State House in Freetown.

NCP chairman Lawyer Umaru Napoleon Koroma said that the report did not only provide an overview of their activities relating to reforms and divestiture processes they had undertaken, it also highlighted proposed activities. He said in the year ahead they broaden their activities,encapsulated under various sectors to include transport, telecommunications, finance and gender.

President Bio (center) with NCP executive

He further stated that their primary objective as a commission, in charge of responsible for the privatisation and reform of public enterprises, was to create the enabling environment for private sectors to flourish without any hindrance, to reduce fiscal burden on central government and to generate employment through business growth.

Mr. Koroma also told the President that his plan was in line with the broader objective to transform the Freetown Port to a Landlord Port that would match up with international ports. He maintained that NCP would work hard to continue to strengthen revenue generation for the implementation of government programs.

Receiving the report, President Bio thanked the leadership of the Commission for adhering to one of the core functions of the commission by producing an annual report. He challenged members of the commission to work harder, adding that government relied on every sector in society for effective governance, particularly sectors that generate revenue for the state.

He promised that his government would always provide the required leadership for the private sectors to flourish, particularly in the creating jobs.

“The growth and development of the future of this country depend on how we all work. We owe a great lot to the future generation should we do anything that will affect the development fabrics of the country,” he stated.