Building children’s resilience against violence

Fourteen-year-old Fatima Mwale (not real name), a pupil at Likhubula Primary School in Blantyre, used to think it was normal for her male teachers to abuse her sexually.

Growing up in rural environment, Fatima vividly remembers how culture teaches girls and women to be submissive to men. She is among vulnerable girls and women who subscribe to the tragic notion that “men are more powerful than women” in society, hence the need to respect them all the time. Even when they perpetrate violence against you, it is culturally accepted as normal for men.

“Because I am a girl, I thought it was normal for teachers to fondle my breast or hips. After all, who could dare to report a man for a wrongdoing?” says Fatima in her state of misconception.

Since teachers fall in the category of powerful people in most rural settings, Fatima argues that this gives them licence too, to abuse young girls and even bulldoze justice in their respective families.

To make matters worse, some parents contribute to some teachers’ immorality towards innocent girls.

“To some parents, it is an achievement to see their daughter in a relationship with a teacher, even if he is older or already married. What matters to them is the pre-conceived reputation that their daughter is going out with a teacher,” she says.

Fatima’s argument is concurred by her school’s child protection committee chairperson Happy Gama, saying parents are easily manipulated by some abusive teachers.

“It is very sad to note that some teachers take advantage of their profession to influence or silence some parents when they are caught on the other side of the law. Eventually, justice fails to take its course,” says Gama.

During a review meeting at the school recently, Plan Malawi child protection and participation manager Grant Kankhulungo, pointed out that violence damages children’s physical, emotional and psychological being and undermines their potential.

This is attested by the school’s head teacher, Kenneth Amidu, who says the performance of some students, girls in particular, was heavily affected by violence.

Evidence shows that children aged below 14 constitute 45.1 percent of Malawi population are the most vulnerable group in society, exposing them to all sorts of violence in the process.

The latest report from the Violence Against Children and Young Women in Malawi Survey (Vacs) reveals that 2 out of 3 children experience violence in their childhood.

However, it wasn’t until the introduction of Learn Without Fear project by the Girls Empowerment Network (Genet) in conjunction with Plan Malawi at Likhubula Primary School that Fatima began to visualise herself as a human who deserves respect, dignity and rights, too.

Learn Without Fear is a project which seeks to promote child protection and participation by creating a safe, secure and protective learning environment for children.

She attributes her enlightment to a series of trainings on the concepts of child rights and reporting mechanisms of violence.

Fatima is among thousands of learners in 24 primary schools in Blantyre benefiting from such training and information on child rights, which on the other hand, requires them to use child-friendly mechanisms like ‘Suggestion Boxes’ to report violence.

The schools have two suggestion boxes, one labelled ‘Happiness’, the other identified as ‘Sadness’. In the happiness box, pupils anonymously put in the good things they are facing in getting education, while in the sadness box they report things that negatively affect the learning process.

“Knowing rights and responsibilities, and all forms of violence is such a valuable knowledge which prepared me to take action against abuse. These suggestion boxes do not only help me and fellow learners to raise the bad things but also positives that support our education,” says Fatima.

She adds: “When I received training on child rights and how to report violence, I believe I was the first person to take an action against those who were abusing me through the suggestion boxes. And I believe these perpetrators have been disciplined by the school authorities because for a while I haven’t experienced any form of violence from them.”

The head teacher testified that there is tremendous improvement at his school as far as cases of violence or attempted violence, have reduced drastically.

According to him, the Learn Without Fear project has helped to lessen the prevalence of myths and misconceptions surrounding gender-based violence (GBV), and stereotypes among children, especially girls.

He adds that the introduction of ‘Suggestion Boxes’ has also helped school children to systematically report violence and raise issues in the home or at school that affect their education.

“There is a committee, which reviews the issues raised by children in the suggestion boxes every fortnight and it takes appropriate action. If a particular issue is beyond our jurisdiction, we refer them to appropriate authorities such as police or chiefs,” he says.

Among other success stories, Likhubula Primary School has resolved over 15 cases of violence as well as reconnecting piped water whose disconnection was lamented by children through the boxes.

Genet director Faith Phiri shares the sentiment that ‘leaders of tomorrow and fighters of oppression are made today’. She believes that empowering children now on critical issues such as human rights and concepts of GBV and protection is a viable strategy to creating a better future for Malawi.

“This provides learners with tools and expertise to understand their rights and responsibilities, root causes of violence and reporting mechanisms in order for them to demand their rights and protection from relevant authorities,” says Phiri.

She, however, bemoans that millions of Malawian children continue to experience different forms of violence such as sexual and emotional assault despite Malawi signing several protocols and declarations including Universal Declaration on Human Rights whose article 5 stipulates that: ‘No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment’.

Statistically, the 2010 DHS survey in Malawi found that 41 percent of females in Malawi experience physical or sexual violence and an estimated 2.4 million Malawian children grow up in violent homes, witnessing domestic violence and experiencing its negative effects.

According to the Vacs report, one in every five girls misses out on an education due to GBV which manifests itself through forms of sexual, physical and psychological torture.

The Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey in Malawi (Mics) further reports that 49.6 percent of girls are married before their 18th birthday and that 18 percent of Malawian children aged five and 14 years are involved in child labour activities including economic or domestic work.

Phiri calls for continued collective efforts to promote issues of child protection and participation in the country, saying existing laws and policies need to be enforced in order to protect children from violence.

“Violence is undermining the power of children’s education that could unlock their full potential. Girls in particular, are vulnerable to coercion, rape, exploitation and gender based violence by teachers, parents, relatives, even fellow learners. But what we are saying is that let us create Malawi and the world we want by protecting children,” says Phiri.