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August 2001 Insights Gender Violence Special Issue
Conspiracy of silence? Stamping out abuse in African
schools
Schools in sub-Saharan Africa tolerate serious sexual
harassment and abuse, most of it perpetrated by older male pupils and
male teachers. Why is the school a violent place for girls? How does
school culture encourage gender violence? In the light of the AIDS crisis,
sexual violence against young girls needs to be vigorously tackled.
This special issue of Insights is part of an effort to
break the conspiracy of silence on this most serious of human rights
violations, one which exposes young people to a range of abusive institutionalised
practices. Children are frequently abused in the very place where they
should feel most safe, sometimes by those entrusted with their care
- namely teachers and principals. Yet the silence and denial surrounding
abuse is deafening. It is difficult to accept that the school is a site
of abuse rather than a haven against abuses perpetrated elsewhere. Sexual
abuse in schools is not a new phenomenon, nor an exclusively African
problem. What is new is that it is finally being researched in Africa.
Talking about abuse widely - in the community, in schools and within
homes, and implementing policies and strategies to stamp it out are
the vital next steps.
| They myth that AIDS can be cured by
having sex with a virgin exposes girls as young as six to rape.
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This id21 initiative is linked to an on-going study funded by DFID on
the abuse of girls in schools in Zimbabwe, Malawi and Ghana. The research
is investigating the extent and nature of abuse, disseminating key findings
and recommendations, and trialing strategic interventions. Reports for
this issue come from South Africa, Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Zimbabwe,
Uganda and Ghana (see Insights #35 for a report
from Namibia). Statistics are hard to come by, but in all these countries
it is clear that the sexual abuse of girls is widespread, institutionalised
and pervasive. Sexual abuse of male pupils by male and female teachers
and of female teachers by male pupils probably also exists, though much
less widespread and almost totally un-researched. Important findings from
the research are:
- Sexual abuse of girls by male pupils and teachers is accepted, along
with corporal punishment, verbal abuse and bullying, as an inevitable
part of much school life. It exploits unequal power relations and
the authoritarian ethos within schools.
- The reluctance of education authorities to address the issue and
to prosecute perpetrators allows abuse to flourish unchecked. By their
inaction, authorities condone and encourage it. Male teachers who
openly pursue sexual liaisons with girls are indicating to boys that
such behaviour is acceptable. Fear of abusive teachers and mistrust
of other staff who turn a blind eye prevents pupils from reporting
incidents.
- Sexual abuse of girls in school is a reflection of gender violence
and inequality in the wider society. Domestic violence against women
and children is commonplace, as is rape and forced sex within relationships.
Women are considered as 'belonging' to men and hence accorded lower
value and status.
- The rapid spread of HIV/AIDS has increased girls' vulnerability
to sexual abuse by 'sugar daddies' and by male teachers, relatives
and neighbours. The myth that AIDS can be cured by having sex with
a virgin exposes girls as young as six to rape. Gifts, money and promises
of marriage lure teenage girls into sexual relationships that put
them at risk of HIV infection.
Addressing sexual abuse in schools is an important human rights issue
and a tool in the fight against HIV infection and AIDS. It is also crucial
in the struggle to achieve universal primary education. Progress over
the past decade on meeting the Education For All (EFA) targets set at
Jomtien in 1990 has been disappointing; in some African contexts, the
gender gap in enrolments is widening. Why, despite all the public commitments
and policy statements, has progress been so slow? Part of the answer must
lie in the nature of the schooling experience itself - ignored in the
haste to expand school places. Even responses to high dropout rates, especially
among girls, and to poor learning outcomes have looked to formal aspects
of schooling (such as teacher preparation, classroom teaching, school
management) for answers, rather than to informal school practices. The
articles in this issue help explain this oversight.
The comprehensive Human Rights Watch report on sexual violence in
South African schools documents the chilling scale and nature of the
violence, its effects on children's education and the education authorities'
responses to reported cases.
George's article focuses on sexual abuse by teachers of their female
pupils. The authors recommend that the South African government urgently
implement a national policy on how to deal with sexual violence in schools.
A national plan of action should include wide scale dissemination of
standard procedural guidelines governing how schools address allegations
and treat victims of violence. Only when perpetrators are punished in
the courts, and schools enforce disciplinary measures, will the message
be understood.
Research in the north has shown how both the school culture and societal influences are instrumental in the construction of masculine and feminine identity. Two articles here look at this in the African context. The Zimbabwe study by Leach and Machakanja reveals that the peer group culture places great pressure on boys and girls to conform to male and female stereotypes at a time when their sexual identities are still developing. Wood and Jewkes vividly illustrate how excessive control and violence in adolescent sexual relationships in a South African township are integral to male identity.
Mirembe highlights the inherent contradiction of trying to promote adolescent sexual health through the school curriculum in Uganda, with its messages about the importance of negotiated sex, equal partnership and the freedom to say 'no', when the school culture clearly promotes male domination and leadership. Kadzamira and Swainson suggest ways in which schooling in Malawi might successfully change teachers' and learners' behaviour.
Training and awareness raising are crucial in the fight to stamp out gender violence.
One example of an initiative to train educators is provided here. Open Our Eyes is a training module developed for South Africa but of relevance to other African contexts.
We need to recognise the complex set of issues involved in gender violence in schools. Tackling it requires concerted efforts at all levels, including the need for:
- governments to initiate media and community-based campaigns around abuse that link up with human rights, social exclusion and HIV/AIDS prevention initiatives
- ministries to ensure that professional codes of conduct are enforced and offenders prosecuted quickly and severely
- schools to promote a more supportive culture by facilitating the reporting of abuse, curbing bullying and corporal punishment, providing effective counselling, and encouraging constructive and equal relationships between pupils and positive role modelling
- teacher training curricula to provide awareness raising around abuse and gender issues
- communities and families to work closely with schools, ministries and NGOs to tackle violence in the home, within communities, and in schools.
Fiona Leach
Centre for International Education
University of Sussex
Institute of Education
Brighton BN1 9RG
UK
T +44 (0)1273 678256
F +44 (0)1273 678568
f.e.leach@sussex.ac.uk
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