When teachers take advantage
Schools are supposed to be bastions of knowledge, values, beliefs, morals, mentors, role models — where one learns right from wrong in a supposed safe environment. But time and time again we hear stories of male teachers taking advantage of female students. Sexual abuse of children is bad enough, but for teachers who children look up to as role models, it is horrifying. Girls also risk harassment as they walk to and from school and from minibus drivers or conductors.
In Kenya, a 2009/2010 government report showed that at least 1 000 teachers had been dismissed for sexually abusing children. In Botswana, a study found 60 percent of secondary school students are abused by their teachers. A Malawian study found 50 percent of the girls said their private parts had been touched without permission, by either their teachers or fellow schoolboys.
Sexual abuse is not limited to penetrative sex, it includes touching, petting and handling of any private part without permission. Girls who experience abuse are unable to concentrate on their studies and perform poorly at school out of fear and anxiety of teachers, other students or even their parents. Abuse also carries the risk of HIV, other sexually transmitted infection and pregnancy. Girls who experience abuse may drop out of school, this sadly deprives them of the best chance they have for empowerment and an education that will improve their life.
Teachers entice girls to sleep with them by offering favours like ‘free’ extra lessons, textbooks or answers to test questions. Some teachers even go as far as to fail students who reject their advances. This is a big problem not just at schools but at colleges and universities in Malawi. But at schools, it is of great concern because most of the time the young girls are extremely naïve and lack the life skills to be able to stand up for themselves.
Sexual abuse in schools is compounded further by the difficulty of who to report to. School authorities, police or parents may not take allegations seriously. I read a report of parents who would send their daughter with vegetables to the teacher house at night in the hopes that the daughter would get pregnant by the teacher so that the teacher would be forced to marry the daughter. A horrific story of parents attempting to secure income and support for the family!
There are a lot of people directly or indirectly contributing to the sexual abuse of female students. Parents, it helps to talk to your children about sex and also give them the life skills to ward off advances from teachers. A communicative environment where children can openly talk to their parents and report any cases of abuse is important. Teachers —public enemy number one! What issues do you have in your life that cause you to commit such gross acts? Where are your morals? Where are your values? School authorities, other teachers, friends, police…there is all something that we can do to stem sexual abuse in schools.
