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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
Spring is definitely here, daffodils, blossom and crocuses are all basking in the bright sunshine. There is still a chill in the air in the shade but it's happening and all the seeds that were sown over the last few months are coming to fruition. At the Foundation, we have been planning the year ahead and our Positive Periods and Prevention of Gender Based Violence programmes got underway this weekend in Haiti and Ghana. These projects will have a long-lasting effect on the lives of the women and girls who take part: tackling the root causes of gender-based violence and enabling girls to attend school every day when they have their period, to feel safe at school and know how to take action when they are faced with violence. These are the first of many projects planned for the year ahead as we continue to work towards Education for All children everywhere.
The outlook for the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) on global education is far from rosy. But a gloomy future isn’t inevitable. Disappointing statistics are the result of political choices that can be shifted and there are thousands of youth, grassroots activists and civil society organisations across the UK advocating for global education to make these changes. We need more people involved to build the momentum, we need to make a difference in challenging circumstances. You can help! Here’s how; Making global education a UK priority The UK is an important donor and champion for global education. However, education has been gradually deprioritised on the development agenda. Global education spending has plummeted from 13.5% of Official Development Assistance (ODA) in 2013 to just 3.5% in 2023, and education was one of the sectors hit hardest by the abandonment of the 0.7% gross national income (GNI) target for ODA. With Labour’s annual budget confirming another reduction in the aid budget, funding for global education is under threat of being cut even further unless we stand together to say this can’t happen. While education is a domestic priority for the new Government, it has yet to emerge as a strong theme in their development agenda. As the Labour Party continues to develop their approach there is a unique opportunity for advocates to connect these dots and make the case for why education must be a key part of the Government’s international plans. For the Government to take action it needs to hear demand for change. There are many issues MPs recognise are important, but if they do not hear about these issues from constituents it can be hard for MPs to be vocal about them in Parliament. Following an election where many parliamentary seats were won with tight margins, MPs need to hear from the people they represent that global education must be on their agenda. With over half of MPs elected for the first time this year, many are actively looking for a steer on what issues to work on. We can give them one! How to Get Involved Write to your MP about why global education needs to be a bigger priority for the UK Government and encourage members of groups you are a part of, such as your union branch or a local community group, to do the same. This can have a real impact on your MP’s interest and ability to act for global education. You can also connect with other grassroots activists and get resources for taking action from international development advocacy organisations like Results UK. You can learn more about Results UK’s grassroots network on our website. If you are a teacher, get your school involved in the Send My Friend to School Campaign (SMF). Send My Friend is a UK civil society coalition advocating for SDG4 which supports a mass UK schools campaign to amplify student voices calling for universal quality education in solidarity with their peers around the world. Free campaign packs are available on the SMF website for primary and secondary levels with everything teachers need to run the campaign in their school. Parliamentarians can learn more about education issues and how to act by joining the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Global Education, a cross-party group that brings together Parliamentarians interested in the right to education and provides them with knowledge and resources to be champions of the issue. By joining our voices through collective action, we can make a real difference in moving the needle on this issue. Together we have a chance to rechart the course for the realisation of quality education for all. BIOGRAPHY Hannah Frisch is the Senior Policy and Parliamentary Advocacy Officer for Education at Results UK and a Co-Chair of the Send My Friend to School Policy and Parliamentary Working Group. She is a policy advisor for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Global Education in the UK Parliament.
Last year the Steve Sinnott Foundation supported the work of The Federation of Drama Schools by providing financial aid to new graduates, enabling them to take part in an industry showcase at The Abbey Theatre in Dublin. The showcase is an annual event for Irish graduates who have completed a professional training at one of the Federation’s partner conservatoires in the UK, introducing young actors to the industry they hope to work in. The Federation of Drama Schools partners are institutions that provide conservatoire vocational training for those who want to be professional performers, theatre makers and technical theatre practitioners. The courses they offer are for students of eighteen years and over, who have completed their school level education. In November (2024) fourteen young Irish graduates took part in the showcase and the SSF provided financial support to two graduates who may not otherwise have been able to take part in this showcase, which is a bridge between training and their professional career. Melanie Lavery from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama is one of those who benefitted from this support. Melanie writes of her experience. I would like to say a huge thank you to the Steve Sinnott Foundation for the support I received, making it possible for me to take part in the Dublin Showcase 2024. The opportunity allowed me to work with graduates from across FDS schools and widen my contacts in the industry. Coming from a socio-economically deprived area, I’ve often missed out on opportunities available to my peers. I have had to spend a lot of energy during my three years in drama school working to support myself and this has meant I often don’t have time to follow up network opportunities. In receiving this sponsorship and taking part in the showcase I have been able to connect with other Irish creatives - the people I am acting opposite, directors, casting directors and agents in the industry. These industry showcases are so important for graduates. It gives us the possibility of networking with industry professionals and hopefully the opportunity of taking that first crucial step into the profession we have trained for. As I studied in Wales, it gave me the chance to return to Ireland and to reach out to creatives there. The Foundation gave me this amazing opportunity to kick start my career in my home country. On the day of the showcase, I had such pride watching my fellow Irish peers performing on stage at Ireland’s National Theatre. Working together throughout the rehearsal period, I got to know them individually and we all helped each other to grow as performers. This showcase has helped me to create my own community of actors around me. When it came to talking with other creatives after the show case, I became so much more aware of how large and welcoming the industry is in Ireland and how much work is being produced here. I think this show case is so important as it highlights how vibrant and growing the industry is in Ireland. I feel so lucky that I was able to take part thanks to the help of the Steve Sinnott Foundation. For more information on the Federation of Drama Schools, professional industry showcases, and it’s partner schools please visit www.federationofdramaschools.co.uk
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