WUNRN
SCHOOL-RELATED GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE: GLOBAL OVERVIEW RESEARCH REPORT – 95 Pages - 2014
http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/HIV-AIDS/pdf/SRGBV_UNESCO_Global_ReviewJan2014.pdf
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
School-Related Gender-Based
Violence is a Major Barrier to Education Equality
By Kate Jere
Education is critical in empowering and
transforming the lives of young people yet a new policy paper by the EFA Global
Monitoring Report, UNESCO and UNGEI argues that school-related gender-based
violence is preventing millions of children, especially girls, from exercising
their right to a safe and inclusive education of good quality.
School-related gender-based violence (SRGBV)
encompasses sexual, physical and psychological violence occurring at school and
on the journey to and from school. It is violence that is perpetrated as a
result of gender stereotyping, discriminatory practices and unequal gender
relations. It includes explicit threats or acts of physical violence, bullying,
verbal or sexual harassment, non-consensual touching, sexual coercion and assault,
and rape. Corporal punishment and discipline in schools often manifest in
highly gendered ways. And unprecedented access to information and
communications technology has resulted in new forms of intimidation,
cyberbullying and sexual harassment.
Violence in school affects
learning for both girls and boys
While boys and girls can be both victims and
perpetrators of SRGBV, girls are often at greater risk of sexual violence,
whilst boys are often more exposed to corporal punishment and bullying. Teachers
and school staff -important partners addressing SRGBV - can also be
perpetrators, in some cases acting with impunity. Poorly enforced
legislation, inadequate child protection policies and weak or non-existent
reporting mechanisms all increase children’s vulnerability to SRGBV.
SRGBV has serious consequences for children’s
physical and mental health and well-being. It has been shown to adversely
impact learning, school attendance and completion. New analysis presented in
our paper shows that bullying affects boys’ and girls’ ability to master basic
numeracy skills.
Sexual violence is a highly destructive form
of SRGBV that contributes to girls’ poor performance and dropout.
Unintended pregnancy resulting from sexual coercion and rape effectively marks
the end of their education in many countries.
While increased advocacy and recognition of
SRGBV has been a positive trend in recent years, we still do not know its full
scale or impact. Reliable international data are lacking on the various forms
of SRGBV and on sexual violence in particular.
Evidence across and within countries is
uneven and incomplete. Cross-national surveys and learning assessments that
collect data on violence within school settings have generally focused on
physical violence and bullying, and have not always applied a gender
perspective.
Not enough data and studies to
assess the scale of SRGBV
The Southern and East Africa Consortium for
Monitoring Educational Quality (SACMEQ) III survey is the only regional or
international learning assessment to date with comparable data on the incidence
of sexual violence in schools. Our analysis of the SACMEQ III data shows high
levels of sexual harassment in schools across the majority of the 15 countries
surveyed, perpetrated by both pupils and teachers. On average, 41% of school
principals stated that sexual harassment between pupils occurs in their
schools, and in 11 countries over 30% reported teacher-to-pupil sexual
harassment.
Surveys and smaller studies from other
regions present a fragmented, but similarly disturbing picture. In the United
Kingdom, it is estimated that a third of 16-18 year olds face unwanted sexual
touching in school. In the Netherlands, 27% of students reported being sexually
harassed by school personnel, and a recent survey in Indonesia found that 12%
of both girls and boys had been victims of sexual violence at school.
However, serious obstacles for documenting
violence exist in many countries, and social taboos and fear of repercussions
prevent children from reporting it.
Understanding the context of SRGBV is
essential for developing appropriate strategies to tackle the issue.
Chronic poverty and unstable living conditions can increase girls’
vulnerability to sexual violence and exploitation. In Sierra Leone, for example,
some girls who cannot pay for school expenses are coerced into sexual
relationships with male teachers.
Our analysis of SACMEQ III data shows that in
Kenya—where almost one-half of school principals reported pupil-to-pupil sexual
harassment—the incidence of sexual harassment was 40 percentage points higher
for schools in the poorest communities compared with those serving the richest.
Yet the relationship between poverty, violence and gender inequality is far
from straightforward. In several of the other countries surveyed, reports of
teacher-pupil harassment were higher among the richest schools.
Conflict and emergency situations
create higher risk for SRGBV
Evidence is emerging that children already
facing marginalization and discrimination are at greater risk of SRGBV, further
undermining their right to good quality and inclusive education. A recent
survey of over 3,700 primary school children in Uganda found that 24% of girls
with a disability reported sexual violence at school compared with 12% of girls
without disability. In a national survey in the United States, two-thirds of
lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender students aged 13-20 reported sexual harassment
at school.
SRGBV is amplified in conflict and emergency
settings, where sexual violence is widespread. In countries such as
Afghanistan, Pakistan and Papua New Guinea, fear for girls’ safety has led
parents to withdraw their girls from school. Girls in communities
displaced by conflict or humanitarian crises are particularly vulnerable to
abuse. An early UNHCR/Save the Children UK report uncovered widespread sexual
exploitation of Liberian girls by teachers in refugee camps in Guinea.
Gender-based violence in conflict-affected countries leaves a dangerous legacy.
In a 2012 study in Liberia, almost half of all boys and a third of girls agreed
that sexual violence is a normal part of relationships.
Multifaceted solutions are needed
to tackle SRGBV
The new GMR policy paper underscores the need
for a coordinated, multilevel and multifaceted approach to tackle violence in
schools. Effective solutions will need long-term strategies for the prevention
of SRGBV, combined with mechanisms that respond to and provide protection for
those affected, and that enforce accountability.
Commitment and clear leadership is needed to
integrate SRGBV into policy and government action and genuine collaboration
between sectors—including education, health and child protection—is
vital. The recent
UNESCO Learning without Fear resolution has been an important
step forward. Furthermore, SRGBV must be clearly recognized in the post-2015
Sustainable Development Goal framework, and agreed indicators should be
included in efforts to achieve equity in education targets, and monitor
progress in achieving safe, inclusive and non-violent school settings.