Gender violence in schools: Malawi

The paper aims at disseminating research findings, identifying suitable strategies to address abuse in schools and develop action plans, and monitoring mechanisms. The study was conducted in 33 primary schools in Chiradzulu District in 2003 in Malawi.

Studies from around the world indicate that gender-based violence is a major feature of school life for many adolescent pupils, especially girls. In sub-Saharan Africa, young women suffer sexual abuse and harassment by older male pupils and male teachers in the vicinity of the school, but such events remain largely hidden as victims are reluctant to talk about their experience to teachers, parents, or figures of authority.

In Malawi, as elsewhere, people prefer to talk about abuse as being something experienced by others.
Girls are particularly at risk of violence because:

• women and girls occupy a subordinate status in a society
• boys learn that masculine behaviour involves being aggressive towards females
• girls who make allegations of sexual abuse by teachers and other men are often not believed
• girls have fewer opportunities to earn casual income than boys
• teachers often fail to take action against boys who abuse girls.
  

The study confirms that:

• teacher sexual misconduct was common and increasing in schools
• the majority of teachers in schools were male, had little teaching experience, and were poorly supervised
• school committees hardly functioned
• pupils lack positive adult role models in their communities and get confused messages about sex
• sexual abuse is hardly discussed at home or in church, yet TV and videos show explicit sex scenes
• girls give in to sexual abuse to avoid punishment for poor results or bullying by older male pupils.
  

It provides the following suggestions, to be considered by stakeholders at every level of the educational system in Malawi:

• widely disseminate current government policies on sexual abuse of pupils by education staff
• tighten and simplify procedures for dealing with teachers' misconduct
• provide District Education Officers, school committees, PTAs and school heads with detailed guidelines on how to deal with abusive behavior by staff and pupils
• review  school committee and PTA functions, and empower them to monitor teacher conduct
• ensure that all cases of sexual abuse are dealt with promptly and decisively
• ensure that teacher training curricula cover issues of abuse and harassment
• provide detailed guidelines for school disciplinary committees on their functions and composition.

The paper concludes by urging for a more coordinated, proactive and system-wide response to combat the problem of school-based abuse. The study revealed weaknesses in terms of linkages between the district education office and the national level response to violence and abuse in school environment. Little has been done to protect the girl child from abuse and harassment in schools. A holistic approach is required, working with all categories of stakeholders, such as teachers, parents, pupils, government officials in education, health and social welfare, the police, child protection agencies, and NGOs working with women and children.