Stop Violence Against Girls in School Project

Project activities fall under 4 broad categories: creating girl-friendly environments; training and capacity building; raising awareness and campaigning; and advocating for change in policy and practice. To help create girl-friendly environments, organisers plan to set up and support girls' clubs in schools and also clubs for girls out of school. The project has also funded the construction of latrines to make school environments safer for girls and has been working with teachers to promote the development and use of codes of conduct for teachers and learners.

Training and capacity building has included training for parents, school management committees, and Parent-Teacher Association members on issues around violence and child protection; training for teachers and education authorities on gender-responsive paedagogy; and training for boys, police, and community leaders on the impact of violence against girls and how to respond to specific incidents.

In order to raise awareness of the issues surrounding violence against girls, the project has reached out to community leaders, traditional and religious authorities, families, and the wider community using a range of methods from debates and discussions to interactive drama. Throughout the three project countries, communities have been mobilised to take a stand on violence in schools. Workshops and training events have been held with local and national media to run campaigns and the project has collaborated with coalitions and networks to ensure the issue is kept on the agenda.

In order to advocate for change in policy and practice, the project is working with teacher's unions to ensure the dissemination and use of the teachers' code of ethics and to engage teachers as key allies. Policy and legislation mapping has been carried out in order to lobby for the development and implementation of policies that specifically address violence against girls in schools at all levels. The project has been working directly with governments to develop appropriate mechanisms for reporting and responding to cases of violence in schools.

Every year in November and December, local partners organise and implement a number of activities for the global 16 Days of Activism. In 2010, Kenyan project partner, The Girl Child Network (GCN), will be involved in district-wide activities including: lobbying and advocacy through survivor testimonies and petitions presented to Government officials on Violence Against Girls. There will also be a camp for girls and boys where activities and workshops will promote better understanding of violence against girls including reporting and protection. In Mozambique, ActionAid and partners will be holding a National Girls’ Conference as well as specific activities aimed at involving men and boys in challenging violence against women and girls. In Ghana, GNECC and partners have organised the activity ‘16-16-16’ under the theme: Silence is Violence - Break the Chains of Silence on Violence Against Girls in Schools’: 16 Campaigners, 16 Pupils (Girls) and 16 Politicians will launch celebrations, present 16 campaign issues and a petition on violence against girls and take pledge forms from 16 politicians to ensure the implementation of measures that seek to break the chains of silence on VAG issues in schools.

The project also includes a strong research component which is undertaken collaboratively by national-level research partners in coordination with the University of London’s Institute of Education. In addition to undertaking an extensive baseline study, the research component will include focussed strategic and longitudinal studies. Findings will be presented in national and international journals, workshops, and conferences. The research is contributing to on-going project design and delivery as well as to the strategic vision of the project at international level.

Gender Violence, Education