School-related gender-based violence (GBV) is pervasive, yet little is known about how to address it or its consequences for education in contexts with low impunity for perpetrators and limited agency among victims. We evaluate a large-scale randomized intervention in Mozambique that combined teacher training with student-focused sessions to strengthen school personnel’s capacity to address GBV and build technical skills. To examine differential effects by degree of agency, the student training was randomly targeted to girls, boys, or both. The program led to a substantial reduction in sexual violence perpetrated by teachers and staff against girls across all treated schools. Administrative records show that interventions targeting girls raised their school enrollment, driven by a greater propensity to report GBV. Complementary survey data and reports from the national child hotline document a sharp rise in GBV reporting, which spurred more investigations and heightened social sanctions against adult perpetrators. These results suggest that reducing school-related GBV and improving girls’ education requires a dual strategy: deterring potential perpetrators while empowering victims to report abuse.

Written with Sofia Amaral , Aixa Garcia-Ramos, Sarita Oré, Alejandra Ramos, Maria Micaela Sviatschi.