How safe do you feel when you walk to the shops, to work or school? These might seem like every day activities but for many children, especially girls and LGBTIQ+ young people, a simple walk to school poses a great threat to their physical and mental health.
School is a critical space in children’s lives where they should feel safe to learn and grow. Yet school-related gender-based violence is a global phenomenon which undermines this.
On 12 August, on International Youth Day, the theme is ‘safe spaces for youth’. So, it’s the right time to highlight the global issue of violence in and around school.
Violence deeply rooted in gender inequality
This is a universal issue deeply rooted in gender inequality and patriarchy which impacts every society. While the scale and scope might differ across different contexts, violence knows no geographical, cultural, social, economic or ethnic boundaries.
Whether at school, at home, in public spaces or online – all children and young people must be able to feel and be safe.
Young people have different experiences of violence in and around school depending on their sex, gender identity, country and context.
For example, research shows that girls are more likely to experience psychological bullying, cyber-bullying, sexual violence and harassment. Boys, on the other hand, often face higher rates of corporal punishment and are expected to take it ‘like a man’. There is also growing evidence showing that most LGBTIQ+ students have experienced bullying or violence on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Violence has huge impacts on young people. The physical consequences include injury, disability, STIs including HIV, unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortion, and in extreme cases, death. There is also the impact on mental health, including depression, anxiety and suicide. All of these factors impact children’s education.
How do we address violence?
Children and young people have the right to feel and be safe. However, young people across the world are denied safe spaces to learn, express their opinions, contribute to decision-making processes and build relationships with their peers.
We have to turn this around and it starts with education on sexuality and relationships. It’s powerful because it gives young people the skills and knowledge to be advocates and take action against violence and gender inequality.
Education on sexuality and relationships also produces young people who have knowledge about their bodily autonomy, issues of gender identity and healthy relationships. An evaluation of a 3 year programme in Nigeria showed girls who took part were better able to take on leadership roles and make informed decisions in their relationships.
Plan International’s Champions of Change programme works with boys to address the harmful masculinities and gender inequality which lie at the heart of violence.
Taking the message out to the world
We’ve got to make the world sit up and listen to the voices of girls and young people and who better to do this than girls themselves.
Take Marie Augustine from Senegal who started a gender equality club in her school to combat school-related gender-based violence. Through this club a code of conduct was developed for students and teachers. Furthermore, students were able to learn about their sexual and reproductive health and rights, and how to advocate for gender equality.
Marie Augustine took her message to her country’s Minister of Education and onwards to the Global Partnership for Education Replenishment conference in Dakar and spoke directly to world leaders about the impact of violence in and around school and urged them to address it.
Her story* highlights the importance of girls taking actions on issues which affect their lives. Young people are telling us that violence is a significant barrier to achieving success at school and we must support them to confront this.
Whether at school, at home, in public spaces or online – all children and young people must be able to feel and be safe.
The #NotMySchool campaign organised by our partner The United Nations Girls Education Initiative* features young people describing how violence in and around school impacts them and puts forward their own solutions to tackle this issue.
I have learnt so much from listening to their stories. It’s only through understanding their problems and listening to their solutions that we can do more to build a safer world for girls and young people everywhere.
*Plan International is not responsible for content on external websites
