The Steve Sinnott Foundation and The Gambia Teachers Union work together to alleviate School Related Gender Based Violence in The Gambia.
By Marie Antionette General Secretary Gambia Teachers Union (GTU).
Similar to countries in the sub region, The Gambia has a high prevalence of Gender Based Violence (GBV). It is one of the most prevalent human rights violations in the world with at least 1 in every 3 women alive today having experienced some form of physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. School Related Gender Based Violence (SRGBV) is a Global concern.
A recent review by UNICEF reveals that sexual violence is not uncommon in the lives of many girls. Data from 40 low and middle income countries shows up to 10% of adolescent girls aged 15-19 reported incidences of gender based violence. Sexual violence, abuse, coercion and harassment at school often remain undocumented and shrouded in silence. Social taboos make researching these issues difficult.
SRGBV is a global phenomenon, preventing children especially girls exercising their right to a safe, inclusive and quality education. We do not have evidence of the full extent of SRGBV worldwide but available data on violence against children allows us to build a partial, albeit fragmented picture of the pervasive nature of SRGBV.
Although the Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5) calls for ‘the elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls by 20230’, limited progresses has been made by countries in West Africa towards the attainment of this target. Pre-existing toxic social norms and gender inequalities, economic stress caused by the pandemic coupled with restricted movement and social isolation measures have led to an exponential increase in GBV in the last year.
SRGBV is detrimental to children’s education. It can have serious effects on children’s health and well-being and their ability to learn to their full potential, it can negatively impact school participation, learning levels and completion rates and raises barriers to gender inequality in education and wider society. Combating gender based violence in and around the schools will help increase school attendance, enhance children’s quality education and improve learning outcomes. It is a vital component for the achievement of the SDG 4 education target.
SRGBV is an appalling phenomenon that undermines efforts to provide good quality education and achieve education for all. It has consequences on attendance, learning and completion rate of all learners and has the widest negative impacts on families and communities.
Although schools are the place where SRGBV occurs, they are also the places where it can stop. Schools should be learning environments where social norms and gender inequalities are challenged and transformed, including attitudes and practices condoning violence. SRGBV cannot be addressed unless it is better understood. The inability to recognize and respond to SRGBV prevents the transformation of schools into empowering spaces for girl’s, boys and teachers.
It is common knowledge that the outbreak of the COVID 19 Pandemic has fanned the flames with women and girls locked at home with abusers and household tensions high, calls for help skyrocketed. Women and girls became more vulnerable as they stayed most of the time at home. The Gambia Teachers Union (GTU) was getting increasing reports of child marriage, abuse and teenage pregnancy from the regional structures.
The GTU sought funding from the Steve Sinnott Foundation to train 45 young female teachers in Region Five. The training took place at the Regional Directorate in February this year and we are running additional training sessions over the coming months.
The overall goal of the training was to increase the teacher’s knowledge and shift attitudes and behaviours so that they can prevent SRGBV and respond to students who have experienced it. The objectives of the training were to help teachers to recognise their roles as protectors of children and agents of change in preventing SRGBV. To also identify what constitutes SRGBV, how to prevent it and how to respond to a student who has experienced SRGBV through direct support and the use of referral and reporting systems. The last objective was to restructure teaching practices to reinforce the prevention of SRGBV and promote a safe learning environment for all students.
Declarations from the Participants
“As a young female teacher in my school and community, I will be a role model to the girls.”
“I will be closer to the girls so as to identify their issues and help in addressing them.”
“With my colleagues in the school, we will organize ‘a girls’ hour’ every fortnight where we will assemble all the girls and discuss GBV issues and the impact it has on women and girls with them.”
“In my school I will work with the mothers club on addressing girls’ issues.”
Reflections on the training from the Participants
“The training was very educational, inspiring and timely as we are in the era of COVID-19 which has caused a whole lot of School Related Gender Based Violence.”
“Am really inspired and satisfied with the training and I will do a step down with my colleagues in my school and cluster.”
“I am thankful to the sponsor of the training and the GTU for choosing our region. I have learned a lot and I will share the knowledge with others in my school.”
“I have knowledge on how to fight SRGBV and I hope more training will be given to my colleagues in other regions so that together we will fight and eradicate SRGBV.”
“This is the best training I have had so far on Gender Based Violence and my role in fighting and eradicating it especially in my school and community.”
“Thank you Steve Sinnott Foundation for funding this training and GTU for organising it.”
“I thank the sponsor, coordinator and facilitators for the wonderful training. I have learnt a lot that I will share with others.”
“I am seeing the fight against GBV as a teamwork, so I will work with all the female teachers, mothers’ clubs, school councillors and senior management committee in the fight.”
“I am very grateful for the training and will raise awareness of GBV in my school and communities.”
Conclusion
It is time to stand up and say enough to violence. Enough to assumptions that violence is permissible or going away on its own. Enough to treating violence as anything less than a full scale crisis that we must do everything in our power to stop.
Enough!
That’s what we say, today and every day, to all forms of violence against women and girls. Enough to domestic violence, enough to rape, enough to harmful practices like female genital mutilation, and enough to impunity for one of the most flagrant and pervasive violations of human rights, women and girls have every right to live free from violence, everywhere.
Thank you Steve Sinnott Foundation for your unflinching support to the Gambia Teachers Union.
By Marie Antionette • October 11, 2021
For my birthday this year I had the honour to walk 60 miles (yes it was a big 0 birthday) over 3 days to support the essential work of the Steve Sinnott Foundation of which I am CEO. Education in its many forms is essential for all of us to thrive and make the most of life's opportunities. The Foundation works to ensure that as many children and adults as possible across the globe can access the human right of education. The plan was to walk with friends and supporters who I hoped would keep me smiling along the way and it felt like a good way to make use of the Foundation’s “Get Moving” campaign. Here's how my Get Moving Fundraiser went on the first day. The 13th June I started my walk in London by walking from Barnet to west Hampstead and visiting my sister at her shop at Tree of Life where I got served a nice iced coffee to keep me going.
Defining Success in Education: Bridging Gaps for a Better Future Education is often seen as the gateway to personal and societal advancement through personal betterment. But defining success in education requires a deeper understanding than just academic achievement, it isn’t just about qualifications or certificates. Rather educational success is about ensuring access to learning that is inclusive, equitable and quality-driven. It’s about equipping students with critical thinking skills and the space to be creative. A quality education fosters holistic approaches, promoting emotional, social and intellectual growth. On a societal level, educational success is about ensuring we value and appreciate a society wide distribution of knowledge and skills; that diversity of thought can be just as important as orthodoxy. Ensuring Access to Education that Meets Individual Needs Traditional western forms of education based within on e-size-fits all models are inadequate in a world where learners have diverse backgrounds, abilities and needs. A shift is needed away from the top-down deficit model approaches which assume teaching and learning is transactional or akin to filling empty vessels, or as Paulo Freire described it, the Banking Model of teaching. Success in education will come from programmes that respect differences between individuals and across communities, using, for example, adaptive learning approaches. Additionally, integrating support for learners with neurodivergent needs or disabilities, as well as promoting (and indeed funding) digital literacy, can ensure that education is individual but also focused on the emancipatory effects of education. Gender and Racial Equity: The Pillars of Inclusive Education Gender and racial equity are crucial components of a successful education system and a founding component of Sustainable Development Goal 4. Although there has been significant progress here, disparities globally still persist. Barriers such as gender-based violence, early marriage and inadequate school infrastructure pose challenges for the international community. Similarly, racial inequality in education can manifest in various ways, from lower access to quality schooling to biased curricula that don't reflect diverse cultures or histories. To address these disparities, education systems should continue to develop policies that promote gender-sensitive curricula and address the specific needs of marginalised groups. Investing in female education, particularly in underserved areas such as sexual health, has been shown to create a ripple effect that benefits entire communities. Similarly, anti-racist educational frameworks can help to make sure that all students, regardless of their race or gender, receive the same opportunities to thrive. Creating a Better Future: What Needs to Be Done? Most importantly, we need to keep talking about SDG 4 — providing inclusive and equitable education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all. The more SDG4 is part of the global conversation the more likely it will become part of the taken for granted expectations of all countries and communities. The more academics like me discuss it in our lectures and have it in assignments, likely the more we are to normalise high quality, free primary and secondary education with our future global leaders. But more than this SDG4 should be at the heart of grass roots conversations, in every classroom, playground, and café. The more we talk about it the more a part of our global culture equitable access to education will become. Ultimately, success in education will not be defined by what certificates students attain, but by how well we equip individuals and communities to navigate and shape the world. Education should empower individuals, communities and nations to achieve their full potential, breaking down barriers that have traditionally limited access and opportunity. By striving for inclusivity, equity and quality, we can build a future where education truly is for everyone. BIOGRAPHY Dr Matthew Round is an academic and educator, who has worked with children from 3 years old to PhD students. Having been a science teacher, pastoral leader, and senior leader in schools in the UK, he now works in Higher Education and his current research focused on the emancipatory philosophies of Pierre Bourdieu and sex and sexuality education.
Every child deserves to feel safe and included at school but, sadly, that’s not always the case for children with food allergies. There are now around two children in every classroom with a diagnosed food allergy in the UK, and 20% of food allergic reactions occur in schools. Yet new research by the NASUWT teachers’ union, in collaboration with The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, has exposed the barriers faced by too many of children with food allergies, which can leave them feeling excluded and isolated. The survey of almost 1,900 teachers revealed that 67% have had no allergy awareness training. One in five teachers has never been taught how to administer an adrenaline auto-injector which could save a life in a food allergy emergency, and almost two thirds (60%) don’t know or are unsure of their school even has an allergy policy. Despite a huge rise in allergies in the UK, there is no specific mandated guidance on how children with food allergies should be supported or how and when staff and team leaders should be trained. There is no funding for this either. That’s why Natasha’s Foundation, the UK’s food allergy charity, has created Allergy School. The £1 million, national programme for teachers offers nurseries, primary schools and out-of-school clubs and groups a suite of free resources, including films, engaging lesson plans and assembly packs and a self-assessment to see how allergy friendly they currently are. All are mapped into the National Curriculum to make them easy to use for all age groups. The resources also introduce Arlo, the friendly, food-allergic armadillo – a puppet which helps to educate children about food allergies in a positive and engaging way. The free resources, for children aged 3 to 11, are available at www.allergyschool.co.uk Allergy School has been developed in partnership with The King’s Foundation, St John Ambulance, the children’s charity Coram Life Education and Tesco Stronger Starts. It has received messages of support from His Majesty, The King and the Government, as well as schools, teachers and parents. His Majesty, King Charles said: “Improving understanding of this issue is so important for keeping children with food allergies safe and ensuring they are able to participate fully in activities at school or in our wider communities.” The aim of Allergy School is to transform understanding of food allergies in schools so that children with food allergies feel empowered, included and protected. I know from personal experience that it can be really hard to keep a child with food allergies safe in school. My daughter Natasha was diagnosed with food allergies as a young child and finding a nursery where she would be safe was extremely difficult. When she started school aged 5, it was only when she had a severe allergic reaction to milk on a school trip to the zoo that staff finally took her food allergies seriously. Natasha died when she was just 15 from a food allergy to sesame. She ate a baguette sandwich that didn’t list sesame seeds on the food label, but they had been baked into the dough of the bread, invisible to the eye. Had the baguette been labelled properly, Natasha would not have eaten it, and she would be alive today. Natasha’s death put us on a mission to campaign for change. Government, schools, teachers, parents and pupils need to come together to support children with food allergies in this country. Our new Allergy School programme will transform levels of awareness and understanding of food allergies in a positive and engaging way for all children. BIOGRAPHY Tanya Ednan-Laperouse OBE, founded The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, the UK’s food allergy charity, with her husband Nadim after their daughter Natasha died aged 15 from an allergic reaction to food in 2016. In 2021, Natasha’s Law came into force which improved food labelling. The charity funds medical research and campaigns for a safer world for people with food allergies. Tanya has been awarded an OBE in recognition of her services to people with allergic disease.
