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Preliminary Investigation of the Abuse of Girls in Zimbabwean Junior Secondary Schools - Education Research Paper No. 39, 2000, 100 p.
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5.1 Workshop findings
5.2 Strategic actions
Ministry initiatives
5.1 Workshop findingsThe final stage of the research was devoted to exploring
possible strategies to address the problem of abuse in schools. To this end,
participatory workshops were held with pupils in Schools A and C in October
1999, and with teachers in all four schools in January 2000 as part of their
termly staff development programme. The workshops with pupils were carried out primarily with
girls but boys were also involved (see Appendix 5 for a summary).
It was noticeable how few strategies the girls came up with, but this was
perhaps not surprising given their passive acceptance on the whole of the
circumstances of their lives and the fact that they feared retaliation if they
were too assertive. It was interesting to note that the boys too were fearful in
the school, either of being beaten by teachers or of being bullied by older
boys. As for the teachers' workshops (see Appendix 6 for a
summary) they were noticeable in revealing the teachers' rather negative and
scornful attitudes towards girls, typical of society generally. When asked what
problems they faced when teaching girls, they produced a long list (the
prioritised versions have been reproduced in the appendix). At the same time,
however, in somewhat contradictory mode, they appeared to sympathise with their
problems, to see the role that poverty, family background, exposure to abuse,
long distances to school, domestic labour etc. played in making their lives
difficult and perhaps encouraging them to enter sexual relations with men and
boys. They also saw parents as being very much to blame. Despite their negative
attitudes, they did propose workable strategies to address the problem of
abuse. The workshops revealed that there are many attitudinal
barriers to change, on the part of girls, boys, teachers and parents. A
reduction in abusive behaviour towards girls would require a radical change in
school culture, and ultimately in society's view of women and girls. In
particular, it would require the school to address the general issue of
bullying, which affects boys as well as girls, and corporal punishment, the
widespread and indiscriminate use of which contributes to the atmosphere of
violence. The sexual abuse of girls is part and parcel of a school culture which
institutionalises a variety of forms of aggression and violence. The workshops also revealed the limitation of what the major
actors (girls and teachers) felt they could do, or even what the school as a
whole could do to help girls. As ever, this comes down to the subordinate status
of women in society and their perceived lack of freedom for action. For example,
girls said they were frightened of retaliation by boys if they confronted them
about their behaviour, and indeed we know that boys frequently threatened to
beat them just for turning down their proposals. In one school, the married
female teachers said that it was impossible for them to report abusing male
teachers because their husbands would not understand why they were reporting
other women's husbands. A woman might end up being accused of seeking to cover
up her own secret affair with the accused teacher. The key to addressing the issue is breaking the silence at all
levels, among girls, teachers, school heads, parents and Ministry officials.
Many of the strategic actions suggested below stress opening up dialogue,
information sharing and co-operation. It is the opinion of the researchers that,
if the issue was openly discussed in the school, male teachers would be less
likely to feel they can proposition girls with impunity. The wider cultural
environment encourages silence from women and from children, especially
girls. At the same time, there is a clear tendency for everyone to
blame the other and to expect others to change or take action rather than the
onus being on themselves. So, teachers and heads blame the girls for immoral
behaviour and their parents for not bringing them up properly; heads also blame
the teachers for loose morals and lax behaviour, the Ministry blames the heads
for not enforcing good standards and working in the interest of the school, and
so on.... The one notable exception is the girls, who tend to blame themselves
when they get into trouble; almost all the girls who were asked thought that a
girl who got pregnant had only herself to blame and many also thought she should
be punished. As we have seen, most parents, teachers and boys agreed. There is
therefore a need for collective responsibility and accountability as well as for
collective action. 5.2 Strategic actions
Girls can
Teachers can
School management (heads and deputies)
can
The Ministry of Education (central and
regional) can
Teacher training colleges
can
The following list comprises a number of strategic actions
that individuals and/or groups can engage in, with a view to reducing the
school-based abuse of girls. These recommendations emerge from the two sets of
workshops, supplemented by suggestions from the interviews with school heads and
Ministry officials. They do not of themselves provide an overarching strategy;
that is for those in positions of authority to formulate and to implement.
However, it is clear from this study that abuse has to be tackled on many fronts
through a holistic approach. The following provides a range of actions which can
form the basis of an institution-based strategy to counteract abuse. With a
concerted effort, the impact could be significant. Girls can· act as a group,
discuss issues and problems, support each other· refuse to see a male teacher
on his own, to go to his house or to his base room on request except in the
company of another girl · move around the school with
other girls to reduce the opportunity of a girl being left vulnerable to assault
by boys; likewise when walking to and from the school · report cases, as a group
preferably, of abusive behaviour to the Guidance and Counselling teacher, to the
head teacher, to their parents or even to the police21; seek help
from those teachers or social workers they trust - do not suffer in
silence · make it clear to teachers who
proposition them that they are aware of the code of conduct on teacher behaviour
and that 'improper association' is a punishable offence · make it clear to teachers that
they know that corporal punishment is banned for girls · learn about their
rights. Teachers can· create a more
friendly and supportive environment which will encourage girls to come to them
with their problems, and will enable teachers to be more understanding of their
circumstances. Knowing all one's pupils by name, addressing them individually
and showing that girls and boys are valued equally are important first steps.
More effort can also be made to provide individual guidance and counselling to
girls. Female teachers can hold informal talks with groups of girls and provide
them with sex education.· take greater responsibility to
help girls to make informed decisions about their lives and to address their
problems constructively. Recognise that teachers must act as positive role
models for both girls and boys at all times. · take Guidance and Counselling
lessons more seriously and try to teach them more effectively. Sex education
should be included. A more participatory approach would encourage girls to speak
about issues. Some Guidance and Counselling lessons could be given to girls and
boys separately. Using drama, visual representation (drawings) and debates on
topical issues may also encourage participation; girls can be encouraged to
write about their ambitions and fears in life. · encourage greater
understanding and respect between boys and girls; foster mature relationships
between boys and girls so that they work collaboratively, e.g. when doing
homework, rather than antagonistically. Requiring them to work more closely
during class activities and encouraging discussion and debate on issues of
relevance to them may help. · encourage girls in particular
to take on positions of responsibility, e.g. as group leaders, monitors etc.;
motivate them to excel, by appreciating effort and rewarding good work; praise
them and avoid derogatory remarks which belittle them and demean the female sex;
use the new human rights curriculum as a way of highlighting girls' rights and
issues of equality; show boys that they share responsibility in a sexual
relationship (e.g. if a girl gets pregnant). · take the register more
frequently to cut down on pupil absenteeism; enforce rules on girls not wearing
make up or accessories, and on both boys and girls wearing correct uniform, so
that pupils understand that they are working in a disciplined
environment · avoid verbal abuse at all
times and ask the head to endorse moderate corporal punishment only as a last
resort. The issue of corporal punishment is difficult to address with
teachers. Its banning is not approved of by most teachers, and the policy of
only caning boys is controversial. Most teachers in the three mixed sex schools
strongly endorsed its use, in particular in the school in the peri-urban area,
where teachers considered the community to be violent and pupils often out of
control. However, most also conceded that some teachers used it excessively and
at times arbitrarily. The possibility of stamping it out completely in the near
future is remote, especially because heads themselves practise it routinely and
because parents and many pupils also support its use. The Ministry however
should attempt to enforce the rules on its use, to monitor it and to make heads
responsible for complaints by pupils or parents and injuries suffered by pupils.
Better trained teachers are also more likely to be able to impose discipline
without resorting to physical punishment. School management (heads and deputies)
can
School culture
Teaching and
training
Enforcement of
rules
Outside resources
Parental involvement
School culture· change the school
culture of violence and complacency, enforce effective disciplinary measures
against teachers and pupils who indulge in abusive behaviour, provide more
effective staff development, and access outside resources to help in
this· develop a more supportive
school environment, with a greater emphasis on understanding and helping pupils,
especially girls; supervise and reduce physical punishment given by teachers and
make it clear that bullying and aggressive behaviour, whether by boys towards
girls, or older boys/girls towards younger boys/girls, will not be
tolerated. · provide a forum for pupils,
especially girls, to talk about issues of abuse in a non-threatening
environment, possibly with individuals from outside the school (given the girls'
current distrust of teachers); also for boys and girls to discuss issues
together in an informal setting; introduce a 'principal's hour' for the head to
meet pupils and discuss problems and issues. Parents could be involved in some
of these activities. · teach pupils greater
self-esteem and autonomy, e.g. establish an effective pupil representation
system (student council) with girls and boys at least equally represented;
invite suggestions from pupils for improvements to the school (anonymously if
preferable through a suggestion box); involve pupils in planning and leading
school assemblies and other school functions; encourage pupils to start clubs in
or outside the school; encourage girls to take up leadership positions. In all
such initiatives, girls and boys should be seen to be treated equally and given
equal responsibilities. · Ensure that a female teacher
always accompanies teams on sports trips (through a roster). Teaching and
training· ensure that
Guidance and Counselling is officially placed on the timetable, taught only by
qualified (trained) teachers and by only one or two teachers in each school; if
possible, arrange some in-service training to expose teachers to more
participatory methods for teaching the subject.· include training for teachers
on how to tackle abuse within the school in staff development sessions; on how
to deal with pupils' problems, especially those of girls; provide awareness
raising around gender issues so that teachers are made aware of the ways in
which they can undermine girls' self-confidence, perpetuate negative stereotypes
about female characteristics and behaviour, dampen girls' aspirations and
contribute to the institutionalised abuse of girls. Female teachers in
particular need to be helped to become more assertive; they should see it as
then-duty to protect girls from abuse by male colleagues, to support them in
asserting their rights and to stop gender violence in schools. As women, they
too lack the power to act. · try to improve the provision
of textbooks and good library materials, so that pupils can complete their
homework (and avoid being beaten) and be occupied during breaks and free time.
Funds could perhaps be raised by parents and the community. Enforcement of
rules· ensure that
teachers know that they will be reported if they transgress the regulations on
appropriate behaviour towards pupils,e.g. the ban on pupils entering teachers' houses or base
rooms. Verbal and physical abuse by teachers will not be tolerated. At the same
time, rules regarding pupil behaviour (coming to school drunk, not wearing
proper uniform etc) should be enforced fairly and consistently, so as to ensure
a disciplined learning environment. · ensure that the reasons for
punishments are clearly explained and are aimed at correcting behaviour rather
than engaging the pupils in tasks which are not useful or educational. · ensure that parents know what
the school regulations are; involve parents in the formulation of school policy
on teacher and pupil management. · restrict, or even ban, the
sale of snacks and drinks during school hours, so as to reduce the significance
of pocket money within the school and thus lessen the incentive for girls to
take money from boys. Outside resources· invite resource
persons from outside to come to talk to the pupils about 'life' issues around
sexual health, abuse and children's rights (e.g. health officers, medical
practitioners, police, the Victim Friendly Court officer, social welfare
officers, officers involved in the Child Welfare Forum)· invite respected female
members of the community to come and talk to the pupils about their lives and
the role that schooling played in it. In particular, successful or high profile
women from the region, e.g. women in senior public positions, female
professionals, businesswomen, female members of parliament, can provide
affirmative role models for girls, and show them that women can be highly
successful, can aspire to a career and an independent income alongside marriage
and child-rearing. · provide
imaginative careers guidance for girls so as to broaden their horizons beyond a
future as housewife and mother, and to raise their self-esteem and expectations.
Inviting successful women to speak to them is one strategy. · invite girls or women who
dropped out of school through pregnancy and subsequently saw their lives enter a
negative spiral to talk about their experiences; if available show films on this
subject; even consider inviting girls or women who have contracted the HIV virus
to speak. · work closely with parents and
the community; make the school more accessible and welcoming to parents and make
them feel part of it; encourage them to take an interest in their children's
education, problems etc; respond positively to parents' suggestions and
contributions; avoid using parents' meetings as a vehicle to reprimand them and
highlight their shortcomings; offer services to the community as a sign of
co-operation and respect. · seek support from the Ministry
on all the above initiatives. Parental involvement· encourage parents
and guardians to talk to their children more, in particular to girls about
problems relating to puberty. Even though this may not be considered appropriate
culturally, the AIDS epidemic makes this an urgent task. Moreover, the tradition
of girls talking about sexuality and puberty with aunts, and boys with uncles,
is fast disappearing as family structures break down and people become more
mobile in their work. Parents and schools together need to take on the
responsibility of providing pupils with sex education.· encourage parents and
guardians to treat boys and girls equally, to value the education of girls as
offering them career and employment opportunities alongside marriage and child
rearing, which will make a positive contribution to family well being. Parents
need to help girls to raise their self-esteem and to share out household tasks
equitably. Those who are looking after children as guardians must treat them as
fairly as their own children; they should be reminded that the ill-treatment of
children constitutes abuse and is punishable by law. · encourage parents to trust
what their children tell them, especially when girls have problems, and to
listen to their children rather than blame them (girls especially) · make it clear to parents that
they value their involvement in their children's education and that they expect
them to assist and supervise homework, to show an interest in their children's
progress and to discuss this progress with the teachers · work closely with parents in
monitoring pupils' attendance at school; parents need to liaise with the school
and to express concern if their children do not come home on time, make excuses
or say they have to do homework at school. · encourage parents to provide
their children with their basic requirements, e.g. school fees and levies (to be
provided on time), bus fares and pocket money. · encourage parents to refrain
from using abusive language or behaviour towards their children. It is important that parents and guardians monitor the
movement of their children, know who their friends are and how they spend their
leisure time. Much abusive activity occurs between the home and the school,
especially when children travel long distances alone. The Ministry of Education (central and
regional) can· ensure a rigorous
selection of trainee teachers, which will include routine background checks
(e.g. for a criminal record) and vetting of teacher appointments, to include a
careful investigation of why teachers are asking for a transfer, their
performance in previous teaching posts etc· select head teachers
carefully, less on seniority and more on record of good performance, management
and leadership skills · provide training for heads in
management and leadership, to include how to take effective disciplinary action
with both teachers and pupils; this should also train them as to how to maximise
the staff development time available so as to tackle these issues
effectively22 · limit the number of teachers
who teach Guidance and Counselling in each school to one or two (one full time)
to teach all lessons in this subject; ensure regular visits to schools from the
Ministry of Education to support the teaching of this subject (there was no
evidence of this at all from the schools studied). · provide a gender awareness
component in all in-service training courses and workshops, also for heads and
education officers; provide more effective training for Guidance and Counselling
teachers · provide greater support for
teachers of this subject through materials, syllabus and guidelines which are
distributed and used in all schools; improve communication with schools on the
requirements of Guidance and Counselling; ensure a more effective distribution
of the syllabus and materials to schools · establish a more effective,
and less cumbersome, reporting system to encourage heads to take action against
abusing teachers and pupils, while also making heads responsible where they fail
to report cases of teacher abuse · send circulars to schools with
the names of all teachers found guilty of crimes of abuse, to act as a deterrent
to others; liaise with courts to publicise cases of school-based abuse · create a helpline in regional
Ministries where abused pupils can call for help or a letter box for pupils to
report perpetrators of abuse, whether at home or in the school. The helpline
number and address should be publicised in schools. · improve links with other
regional authorities and agencies involved in the reporting and treatment of
abused schoolchildren, e.g. police, health, social welfare, NGOs; better
recording and sharing of information, e.g. with hospitals (through the Ministry
of Health) and with the police, in cases of schoolgirl (and schoolboy)
rape · share experience with other
active bodies working to counteract abuse, HIV/AIDS and domestic violence, and
to promote women's and children's rights, e.g. with UNICEF on curriculum
materials, with the Ministry of Health on health campaigns, with the police on
the Victim Friendly Court system, all with a view to educating children about
their rights and legal procedures to follow in cases of abuse · try to place married teaching
couples in the same school or in the same locality, rather than split them up as
currently happens · enforce fully the policy that
girls who have been expelled from one school because of pregnancy can continue
their education in another school after the birth. Teacher training colleges
can· provide awareness
building among trainee teachers during their pre-service training, especially
greater emphasis on issues of ethical standards of behaviour (taught in the
course on ethics and values) so that they are aware of the seriousness of
abusing the trust that is placed in them as teachers· provide training in the use of
more participatory and enquiry-based teaching methods especially in teaching
Guidance and Counselling lessons · provide gender awareness
training so that trainees are made aware of the ways in which teachers can,
consciously or not, perpetuate negative stereotypes about female characteristics
and behaviour through the way that they treat girls and boys in the school, both
in class and outside · include supervision of trainee
teachers' behaviour while on teaching practice, not just of academic
performance; obtain the opinions of heads and pupils on the trainees'
behaviour · link up with higher education
institutions and schools to carry out research on issues relating to child
abuse; involve teachers and college lecturers in this Ministry initiativesAs has been seen, strategic actions to address the abuse of
girls can cover a wide range of areas which include: individual initiatives by
girls and by teachers with their pupils; school-based initiatives, usually with
the head responsible for seeing them through; and initiatives by the Ministry.
Teachers, school heads and Ministry officials all need to encourage parents to
become more involved in the school. An integral holistic approach to stamping
out abuse is necessary. It is not difficult to see that the above strategic actions
require significant change of attitude and behaviour on the part of teachers,
head teachers, parents, Ministry officials, boys, and girls themselves. The
issue of sexual abuse is tied up with the illegal use of corporal punishment, as
they form part of the same culture of violence within schools. Change in
attitude and behaviour at the individual level will only be effective if it
results in a change of institutional culture, towards a more 'caring' and
democratically run school. Translating the above from being just a 'wish list' of
desirable changes, created by individuals and groups who prefer to see others
take action rather than themselves, into a strategic plan is not easy. However,
below are listed some possible Ministry interventions which might form part of a
strategic plan: · School-based interventions can
be initiated through NGOs already doing work with abused women, e.g. Musasa, or
on HIV/AIDS education e.g. ARHEP (see Kaim in references). Given the girls'
distrust of teachers, any interventions which rely exclusively on teachers are
unlikely to work. A national NGO, possibly with external funding, could send
experienced facilitators into schools to run participatory workshops with girls
and boys to develop awareness of the seriousness of abuse (as an activity that
can bring civil prosecution or disciplinary measures on the perpetrator), and to
identify suitable strategies for victims to report it and contain it
effectively. · School-based
workshops can be held with teachers and parents to raise awareness of the issues
surrounding abuse and develop school-based action plans to address it. Bringing
the issue into an open forum for debate will make it more difficult for
perpetrators to carry on without fear of being reported.· At the regional and national
level, a conference can be organised to disseminate the findings of the report
to education officers, school heads, and to civic leaders, police officers,
social welfare officers and NGO personnel working with children and adolescents.
This can be supplemented by a series of workshops which seek to develop national
and regional initiatives and draw up an action plan for targeting
schools. · External support can be
provided to NGOs or other civil groups so that they can engage in lobbying and
advocacy work to bring the issue to the forefront of the government policy
agenda in the field of education and health. · Funding can be provided for
additional research into the effects that abuse has on girls' learning and
achievement (not explored in this study). FOOTNOTES21 During the workshops, one girl said she had
reported a boy who hit her to the police and he had been fined - she insisted
that she had gone alone to the police station. It was not possible to verify her
story.22 Those heads interviewed appeared to find it difficult to
confront the issue of teacher abuse, abuse by older boys and general bullying in
their schools. They were quick to blame the teachers for their loose morals, the
pupils for their poor upbringing, the parents for their ignorance and bad
behaviour, and the community generally.
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