CONTEXT
The urban refugee population in Lusaka includes a total of 4,067 children
of primary and secondary school age, out of which, 48.4 per cent are girls.
As the country implements an encampment policy, residence permits to
stay in Lusaka is only granted for exceptional reasons, including medical
reasons, employment or studies. While there is no requirement for a study
permit at primary school level, access to secondary and tertiary education
requires a permit.
According to a recent Harvard study on the health and well-being of refugee
youth in Lusaka, many refugee youth reportedly face discrimination and
verbal and physical violence in school. Nationality and refugee status are
overwhelmingly cited as the grounds for discrimination. Both for refugees
with URPs and those without, the main reasons of discrimination are
nationality (80.0 percent and 84.3 percent) and refugee status (28.0 percent
and 26.0 percent). Both groups reported that this discrimination emanated
from other pupils. Several participants in the study reported changing their
names at school to sound more “Zambian” and avoid bullying and
harassment from other pupils. There is not sufficient baseline data to allow
for a comprehensive analysis of the situation of girls at school but it can be
expected that sexual harassment, discrimination and high drop-out rates
are prevalent.