Sexual misconduct among high school students in Vietnam

Abstract

Background

Sexual misconduct is a global problem. Adolescents 15–19 years face the highest risk of sexual misconduct, however, studies on school-based sexual misconduct in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) are limited. We aimed to determine the prevalence of sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment, stalking, dating violence, and sexual violence experiences among students at three high schools in Vietnam since their enrollment.

Methods

Between February and May 2023, 754 students in three high schools in Ho Chi Minh City completed the adapted Administrator-Researcher Campus Climate Collaborative online.

Results

Overall, 54.5 % of students reported any sexual misconduct since enrolling in high school. The prevalence of sexual harassment victimization was 40.2 % perpetrated by staff and 30.2 % perpetrated by students. Stalking prevalence was 18.3 %, and 13.1 % of students reported experiencing dating violence. Nearly 1 in 10 (8.7 %) of students reported sexual violence victimization. Sexual coercion prevalence was highest in the middle-ranked school (6.2 %) and lowest in the high-ranked school (1.6 %) (p = 0.028). Compared to girls, boys reported a higher prevalence of unwanted sexual attention (18.7 % vs. 10.9 %) and sexual coercion (10.1 % vs 4.6 %) by staff (p = 0.001). Girls reported a higher prevalence of dating violence victimization than boys (14.9 % vs. 9.9 %, p = 0.029).

Conclusion

Sexual misconduct prevalence among high school students in Ho Chi Minh City is high with notable gender differences in victimization. Awareness raising among parents, school administrators, and youth is needed to develop contextually appropriate preventive and response programs to address sexual misconduct in high schools across Vietnam.