Sexual violence,schooling and silence: teacher narratives from a secondary school in Ethiopia |
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Authors: | Hülya Kosar Altinyelken Marielle Le Mat |
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Institution: | The Research Institute of Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands |
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Abstract: | Sexual violence is recognised as a public health and human rights problem worldwide. Although schools are expected to be safe places for young people and are envisaged as institutions that challenge social injustices, they are increasingly identified as sites where disproportionately high levels of sexual violence occurs. This study seeks to understand how sexual violence in schooling contexts is conceptualised and interrogated by teachers with a focus on lived experiences, the consequences and the underlying causes. The study is based on qualitative research conducted at a secondary school in Ethiopia. The findings point to overwhelming evidence that sexual violence pervades in secondary schools, with a wide range of adverse consequences on girls’ wellbeing and educational attainment. The study demonstrates how nature, culture and society are included in conceptual thinking about the causes of sexual violence and explores teachers’ agency in addressing the phenomenon. |
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Keywords: | Gender-based violence sexual violence secondary education teachers Ethiopia sub-Saharan Africa |
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