November 20, 2014 - As part of activities marking this year’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence under the theme: ‘From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Let’s Challenge Militarism and End Gender-Based Violence’, Dignity Television, an open web tv platform created by A Common Future organization to stream testimonies of victims of human rights violations has decided to contribute its own quota by starting a conversation with local, regional and national stakeholders in Cameroon on the very thorny issue of safety of women and girls in public places, namely, schools. The urgency of the conversation has been informed by the increasing number of incidences of various forms of violence in school or on the way to and from school.

The objective of this national conversation is to see how schools in Cameroon today are safe places for girls and whether issues of rape, sexual harassment and bullying, behavour, safeguarding and child protection are addressed in everyday planning and other parts of the curriculum as well as in school policies.  It is common knowledge here that violence and abuse of girls and young women is far more widespread than is commonly thought and has a serious impact on students’ attainment. Deeply concerned about the safety of girls both at school and outside school, Dignity Television/A Common Future seek to bring to the forefront of public consciousness the silent fact that sexual bullying and harassment are routine in schools in Cameroon and even more worrying, almost one in three 12-18 year-old girls say they have experienced ‘groping’ and other unwanted sexual touching at school. As if that’s not enough, one in every three teenage girls has experienced sexual violence or rape from a partner.

End Violence against Women Coalition raises the following concerns about safety of girls in schools: ‘We hear a lot about the pressures on our local schools to raise academic standards and improve behaviour, but what are they doing to ensure that girls are safe between their walls and that boys know the lines they must not cross?’

Supporting the case for safe schools, Amnesty International holds that: ‘Schools are places for children to learn and grow. But many girls all over the world go to school fearing for their safety. Though both girls and boys of school age can be the victims of violence, girls are more likely to be the victims of gender-based violence, particularly sexual abuse and violence’.

They conclude that: ‘Generally this kind of violence against girls is not reported, the perpetrators are not punished and measures are not taken to prevent it from recurring. As a result, countless girls are kept out of school, drop out, or do not fully participate in school’.

The unwelcoming environment rather becomes an irony as it appears increased efforts to send girls to school actually means exposing them to violence and victimization. In schools, girls are fondled, verbally degraded, or raped in toilets, dormitories, empty classrooms, or as they walk to and from school. The perpetrators are often people perceived to be in positions of power, including teachers, community figures, or older and bigger students. The costs include psychological scars, unwanted pregnancies, exposure to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, physical injury, and trauma. The situation is also compounded by the fact that demoralizing physical and psychological abuse often begins at home, is reinforced in the community, and continues in the classroom. Be it at school or in the wider community, such violence spreads under cover of silence and fear. In Cameroon, gender-based violence affects not only enrollment, but retention and the educational experience of girls also.

Given that schools have a critical role to play in helping young people to develop healthy attitudes and behaviours, as well as identifying and supporting young people at risk of and experiencing abuse, our conversation is intended to ignite the process of social change in the school milieu and by extension, the community. With the help of questionnaires, Dignity Television staff would interview school authorities, students, community leaders, parent/teachers Association executives as well as teachers trade union leaders on what obtains in schools and on how they can help improve students safety and support. The conversation is intended to identify any gaps in policies and practice. All the interviews would be streamed on Dignity Television, free at point of entry and point of exit.

The interviews would be done in conjunction with letters to Head Teachers and Principals on the situation of School Related Gender-Base Violence, SRGBV. Given that Cameroon parliament is currently in session, we shall also use the occasion of the 16 Days Campaign to write to MPs and Senators to either ask questions to concerned education ministers during this session or engage their local constituents on making public spaces safe for women and girls. After this initial survey stage, Dignity Television/A Common Future intends to source funding to engage in aggressive education and sensitization on Safe schools for girls across schools and communities in Cameroon from January 2015 using community theater, traveling film festivals and stand-up comedy.

In conjunction with 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign, Dignity Television shall throughout the 16 Days and beyond stream results of surveys on how welcoming or unwelcoming Cameroon schools are to girls especially in relation to school-related gender-based violence, SRGBV. The aim of this campaign is to implement the 16 Days Campaign recommendations which are:

- Document and publicize instances of violations against human rights defenders, journalists, indigenous and marginalized groups;

-Engage with members of your community and with policymakers who are willing to listen and who work at the local, national, international and other influential levels to make ending gender-based violence a priority and success marker for national development;

-Strengthen and support the work of Women Human Rights Defenders and demand accountability from State and non-State perpetrators of violence through national, regional, and international mechanisms;

-Build local and international awareness by writing and speaking on the occurrence and stigma of sexual violence or use your skills to heighten the sense of urgency around sexual violence in community; and

-Encourage conversation on intimate partner violence with family, friends, and community members in order to remove stigma, protect, and support those who report it.

Gwain Colbert/Dountio Relindis

Co-Founders: Dignity Television/A Common Future

Bamenda-Cameroon

Email: acommonfuture1@yahoo.com

Tel: 237 [6] 77 85 24 76/ 237 [6] 94 94 28 78

Website: www.freetocharities.org.uk/acf

www.dignitytelevisio.blogspot.com