1. Catherine Jere Event: Thematic Lunch Meeting Paris, 15th April 2015
School-related Gender Based Violence: An obstacle to the achievement of quality education for all
Catherine Jere
Event: Thematic Lunch Meeting
Paris, 15th April 2015
[Introduce yourself.]
Good afternoon. I am pleased to be here today to present the joint policy paper on School related Gender Based Violence – a collaboration between the EFA Global Monitoring Report, the Division of Teaching, Learning and Content in UNESCO’s Education Sector and the UN Girls Education Initiative (UNGEI)
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2. Key messages
SRGBV undermines children’s - especially girls’ - right to a quality, inclusive and equitable education
Better data and research is needed to identify, map and understand its extent and impact.
SRGBV is a global concern, but we only have a partial picture
Post-2015 targets must track progress towards reducing SRGBV
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Education is critical in empowering and transforming the lives of young people, especially girls, yet gender-based violence in and around schools is undermining the achievement of quality, inclusive and equitable education for all. [click]
School-Related Gender-Based Violence is emerging as a global concern.
Yet despite the increasing recognition of School-Related Gender-Based Violence and the harm it causes, we only possess a partial picture of the extent of the problem. [click]
Our paper presents a snapshot of what we know and argues that:
We need more research and data to identify and map SRGBV worldwide.
We need to know why it happens and with what consequences. [click]
And we need better information to develop and evaluate policies to eliminate SRGBV, and to monitor progress post-2015 [click]

3. SRGBV is complex and multifaceted
What is School-Related Gender-Based Violence (SRGBV)? [click]
SRGBV encompasses acts of sexual, physical and psychological violence occurring in and on the journey to school.
Violence that is perpetrated as a result of discriminatory gender norms and practices and unequal power dynamics, and underpinned by gender inequalities in wider society.
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 ICT has resulted in new forms of intimidation, bullying and sexual harassment
While both boys and girls can be victims and perpetrators of SRGBV, girls are often at greater risk.
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 [click]

4. Violence against children is a worldwide phenomenon
Available data shows:
246 million children are estimated to suffer school-related violence every year
Over one-half of all children live in countries where they have no legal protection from corporal punishment
Up to 10% of adolescent girls in 40 low and middle-income countries reported forced sexual acts in the previous year
We know that violence against children is a worldwide phenomenon [click]
Global reports, such as the 2006 UN Report on Violence Against Children, UNICEF’s more recent Hidden in Plain Sight, both demonstrate that violence is common in the lives of millions of children across the world, including gender-based violence. For example,
246 million children are estimated to suffer school-related violence every year
Over one-half of all children live in countries where they have no legal protection from corporal punishment
Up to 10% of adolescent girls in 40 low and middle-income countries reported forced sexual acts in the previous year
Yet, almost a decade since the landmark UN Report, we still do not the full scale and impact of gender-based violence in schools [click] .

5. Lack of comparable data globally
SRGBV is under-researched and under-reported
Limitations in data:
Lack of comparable data globally
School-related surveys prioritised physical violence, bullying
Absence of focus on gender dimensions
Information on sexual violence in schools is scarce
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Critically, there remains a lack of global comparable data on all forms of SRGBV:
definitions and measures of violence differ between data sources
and the availability of data is highly uneven across countries [click]
International 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 [click]
Serious obstacles to reporting and documenting sexual violence exist.
Until recently, much of what we know about sexual violence in schools is from national surveys or small-scale studies with non-comparable data
And while evidence from a few multi-country studies now exists – such as Plan International’s Promoting Equity and Safety in Schools’ survey (PEASS) in 5 Asian countries and the Stop Violence Against Girls in School (SVAGS) research in East Africa – globally, information is scarce and fragmented.
REVIEWS that have attempted to bring together several of these disparate small-scale studies include the the French government’s 2012 review of research in West Africa and UNESCO’s recent global review.

6. Prevalence of sexual harassment is high across SE Africa
On average, 41% of school principals stated that pupil-pupil sexual harassment occurs in their schools
In 11 countries, over 30% reported teacher-pupil sexual harassment
[click] The Southern and East Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (SACMEQ) is the only multi-country learning assessment survey which has collected comparable data on the incidence of sexual violence in schools.
Analysis of the SACMEQ III data shows high levels of sexual harassment in schools across the region, perpetrated by both pupils and teachers. [click]
In Zimbabwe, for example, over half of all school principals reported teachers’ sexual harassment of pupils; in over 40%, pupil-pupil sexual harassment [click]
On average, 41% of school principals stated that pupil-pupil sexual harassment occurs in their schools
In 11 countries, over 30% reported teacher-pupil sexual harassment [click]
Studies from other regions, although few in number, reveal similarly high levels of sexual violence in schools:
In the United Kingdom, a third of year olds face unwanted sexual touching in school
And in Thailand 12% of both girls and boys were victims of sexual violence
In Latin America, new evidence shows that girls regularly experience sexual harassment and sexual ‘blackmail ‘ in return for good grades.
And In Cote d’Ivoire, 47% of teachers in a Ministry of Education survey admitted having sexual relations with students[click]

7. Both boys and girls experience bullying, often in different ways
Out - of - - o -
One of the most widely documented types of school violence is bullying
Bullying may be perpetrated or experienced in gendered ways,
and students victimised because they do not conform to expected gender norms or identities
New analysis of the 2011 TIMSS learning assessment survey presented in this paper shows that many boys and girls experience high levels of bullying at school.
In all but two countries, over a fifth ( 20% ) of grade 8 students were bullied at least once a month.
Boys were more likely to report being bullied in almost every country.
In Ghana, in contrast, girls and boys experienced similarly high levels of bullying: almost 60%. [click]
In Australia, the United States, and several Latin American countries, evidence shows that boys are more likely to be involved in physical bullying [click]
While girls are more likely to experience psychological bullying and cyberbullying; - more research is needed to understand these less visible forms of bullying, which may be overlooked by teachers or policymakers [click].
In some countries, boys are more likely to experience physical bullying
While girls are more likely to face psychological bullying

8. Physical and Mental Health
SRGBV is preventing quality education for all
Physical and Mental Health
Learning Outcomes
Absenteeism
Disengagement
Dropout
Unsafe Schools
Intergenerational Violence and Gender Inequality
Sexual Violence
SRGBV has serious consequences for children’s health and well-being and negatively impacts on learning, school attendance and participation; and school completion:
Studies in Brazil, Ghana and the United States link bullying with increased rates of absenteeism, for example
New analysis of TIMSS data shows that bullying affects boys’ and girls’ ability to master basic numeracy skills - in several countries (including Chile, Islamic Republic of Iran, Lebanon and New Zealand) these learning gaps were wider for girls. [click]
Although limited, available evidence show that SRGBV also contributes to school dropout
In the face of sexual violence at or on the way to school, parents’ fearing for girls’ safety may withdraw them from school; unintended pregnancy resulting from sexual coercion and rape leads directly to exclusion from school in some countries, such as Swaziland, or contributes to girls’ early exit in others.
Studies in Nepal, Lebanon, Mongolia found that fear of teachers and of corporal punishment were reasons given by students for school dropout. [click]
Gender-based violence creates unsafe school environments where children learn to accept and to be violent – perpetuating the cycle of violence and gender inequality in society [click]
Corporal Punishment

9. Understanding conditions that exacerbate SRGBV is essential
Poverty and disadvantage can increase vulnerability to SRGBV
Chronic poverty and unstable living conditions can increase girls’ risk of sexual violence and exploitation
Schools in poor and deprived areas face greater challenges dealing with bullying and physical violence
Marginalized groups are at increased risk of SRGBV
Children with disabilities, especially girls
LGBT students
Children affected by HIV/AIDS
Ethnic and social minorities
SRGBV cannot be viewed in isolation from wider society
Understanding the context of SRGBV is essential to ensure that the most vulnerable are not overlooked [click]
Chronic poverty and unstable living conditions increase girls’ risk of sexual violence and exploitation – In Sierra Leone, girls who cannot pay for school expenses are often coerced into sexual relationships with male teachers
And schools in poor communities often face greater challenges dealing with bullying and physical violence – In Australia, 15% of grade 8 students from poorer experienced bullying, compared with 11% from richer schools
But relationships between poverty, violence and gender inequality are not straightforward. Analysis of SACMEQ III found that some countries - Lesotho, Nambia and Mozambique- reports of teacher-pupil harassment were higher in richer schools. Again more research is needed to understand the interplay of these factors. [click]
Marginalised groups are particularly at risk of SRGBV:
A survey of over 3700 primary schoolchildren in Uganda found that 24% of disabled girls reported sexual violence at school compared with 12% of non-disabled girls.
In Thailand, 56% of LGBT students surveyed had reported bullying in the past month
In South Africa children in families affected by HIV and AIDS were more likely to experience multiple types of bullying than those who were not. [click]
Violence in school is exacerbated in conflict and emergency settings, and sexual violence is widespread - leaving a destructive legacy. In Liberia almost half of all boys and a third of girls agree that sexual violence is a normal part of relationships [click]
Conflict-affected countries
Sexual violence is widespread

10. Comprehensive approaches are needed to tackle SRGBV
Integrate gender equality into curriculum
Provide specialised training for teachers
Promote non-violence among men and boys
Build community involvement
Establish girls’ clubs
Ensure safe and accessible reporting mechanisms and support
Develop codes of conduct with teachers and students
Enforce legislation and policies to protect children
Comprehensive approaches are need to tackle SRGBV in all its forms. [click]
Promising interventions, though often small-scale and short-lived, point the way forward in preventing and responding to SRGBV, and holding perpetrators to account.
These include: [click]
Integrating gender equality, including gender-based violence, into the curriculum – including making it a core component in sexual and reproductive health education
Supporting this with specialised training for teachers and school staff.
Implementing programmes to promote non-violence among men and boys [click]
Building community involvement
Establishing safe spaces for girls through clubs.
Ensuring safe and accessible reporting mechanisms and support. [click]
Putting in place – and disseminating - codes of conduct for teachers and students.
Enforcing legislation and policies to protect children [click]

11. POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS
All stakeholders must…
Demonstrate commitment and leadership
Integrate SRGBV into policy and government action
Collaborate using a multisector approach
Improve partnership and coordination at all levels
To create an enabling environment for tackling SRGBV:
All stakeholders must:
Demonstrate commitment and leadership
Integrate SRGBV into policy and government action
Collaborate between sectors - education, health, youth, child protection
Improve partnership and coordination at the global, national and district levels.
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12. All partners must… POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS:
Agree on a common core definition and indicators for SRGBV
Strengthen research and evaluation
Harmonize data collection and build capacity for monitoring SRGBV
To support these initiatives and inform policy…
All partners must:
Agree on a common understanding and standardised indicators for SRGBV
Strengthen and expand research – using a variety of methods with established ethical guidelines,
Ensure robust evaluation of policy and programming to demonstrate what works.
Explore means to harmonise data collection activities across and within countries, and monitor SRGBV effectively – integrate measurement of SRGBV into established national information systems and international surveys
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13. The international community must…
POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS:
The international community must…
Recognise SRGBV in the post-2015 framework
In order for these responses to happen at the global and national level, we call upon the international community to recognise the importance of SRGBV in the post-2015 framework.
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14. Full paper available at: http://en.unesco.org/gem-report/node/818
For information on the Global Partners Working Group on SRGBV:
Full paper available at:
You have the policy paper here today. Copies in French English and Spanish are also available on our new website. And further information on the Global Partners Working Group on SRGBV can be found through the UNGEI website. Thank you for listening.
#EndSchoolGBV