Ya Marie (on the left) with Irina Bokova, Director- General of UNESCO 

May 2011: “In the mornings, I fetch water for my mother, then, I walk to school. One day I arrived to school late. As punishment, my teacher asked me to crawl on my bear knees across the ground from the school gate to the classroom. I had to obey the instruction as I did not want to miss my class. When I got to my classroom, my knees were bleeding and my socks were soiled with blood. I returned home with severe pain and told my mother that I would never wish to go to school again. She comforted me and advised that I should carry on with my schooling. I had to respect my mother’s advice but I am still afraid of my teacher.”

Ya Marie Jah is a teenage school girl from Sierra Leone. She shared her personal story of abuse with attendees at the 55th Session of the Commission of the Status of Women (CSW) at the United Nations in New York in February (2011). A member of the Plan Village Savings & Loan Youth Group in her village, she was chosen to attend the conference because of her story and her participation. Working with the Plan youth group has enabled Ya Marie to develop her self-esteem and leadership skills, empowering her to use her voice against the violence she encountered to stop it.

Unfortunately, her story is not unique. Gender based violence in schools is almost epidemic across Africa and Sierra Leone. The depth of the violence impacting adolescent girls was documented in the recently published National Study of School Related Gender Based Violence in Sierra Leone.  The study was supported and jointly developed by Plan Sierra Leone, the Sierra Leone Teachers Union, the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs, Concern Worldwide, Ibis and Catholic Relief Services.

The study on violence at schools

Presenting a report on gender based violence in schools in Sierra Leone

The study revealed that in most African countries, girls are affected by various forms of violence throughout their adolescence which negatively impacts their education and opportunities. Types of violence include: sexual exploitation, harassment, verbal reprimand, bullying and corporal punishment. Girls are prone to most of these abuses at home, school and community; adolescent girls face the dual challenge of sexual abuse by peers and teachers.

Sadly, teachers are the main perpetrators of sexual abuses and exploitation girls in exchange for better grades, gifts or money to the girls. Some girls are subjected to doing domestic work for their teachers like going to the market; fetching water or house cleaning as an alternative to flogging in school.

“No amount of infrastructure, economic, social development will be sustainable, if we do not create an environment of security, safety and equal opportunities for our children,” stated Davidson Kuyateh, Secretary-General of the Sierra Leone Teachers Union.

The report is meant to garner support and lead to open discussion and action in the best interest of girl children, ultimately enhancing children’s access to quality basic education and protection against gender based violence. The survey was conducted amongst 1,312 school recipients from 123 primary, junior, senior secondary schools in which such findings gave credibility to most of the testimonies revealed.

“The teachers should realize that abusing the girls is not their payment for teaching them,” stated Mrs. Miriam Murray, Program Support Manager, Plan Sierra Leone. 

Read more about Plan's work in Sierra Leone.