Scattered Dreams, Broken Promises - Women's Refugee Commission

7
Girls Feel Unsafe
Girls encounter physical insecurity in many areas of the
settlement due to social and natural conditions. They
experience physical abuse and fear beatings by peers,
teachers, parents, men and boys. Fights break out between
students in school, including due to overcrowding
where desk and chair space is limited, and frustrations
run high. Some teachers use corporal punishment, including
for “minor offences” and, at times, for refusing
sexual advances. Both girls and boys describe fighting
and beatings taking place at water points among adolescents
as the result of long lines and waits for water and a
lack of security. Girls and boys also fear traffic accidents
on the often narrow and muddy roads, flanked by foliage.
They also face threats of dangerous snakebites as
they walk through the settlement and venture outside for
firewood with poor footwear and clothing.
Barriers to Girls’ Education
UNHCR notes that, over time, girls’ enrolment in formal
education in the settlement has increased dramatically,
thanks in large part to sensitization and affirmative action
programs that have successfully challenged traditional
attitudes limiting girls’ education held by many refugees.
While education standards and qualified teachers have
also been increasing, there are still many barriers to
education for girls at Kyaka II. One of the biggest issues
raised repeatedly by girls, boys and teachers is the
failure to teach early primary classes in English rather
than Kitoro, the local Ugandan language. In April 2012,
the district education officer agreed that Primary 1 – 3
could be taught in English. As of October 2012, this had
not yet been instituted. Classes are taught in English
in Kyaka II after Primary 3. Lack of English skills is a
protection issue for girls, who are often uncomfortable
seeking services and support from English-speaking
service providers. Most, for example, cannot read the
signs posted throughout the settlement in Kiswahili
and English on the sexual and gender-based violence
(SGBV) referral pathway, which provides information on
the procedures involved in seeking response services
in the settlement. Moreover, as English is the medium
of education in upper primary, secondary and higher
education in Uganda, and the language for most
employment in Uganda, English is essential for girls and
boys to continue their education and seek jobs in the
future.
Although primary education is technically free, and about
86 percent of girls surveyed are enrolled, many girls and
their caregivers still cannot afford the basic materials
required to attend. For secondary education, students
are charged tuition and boarding fees and are required
to purchase books, uniforms and other school materials.
There are scholarships available to assist students in
meeting some of these needs; however, scholarships
are far too few (28% of students attending secondary
school actually get scholarships) and girls say that their
chances of qualifying for scholarships based on merit
and vulnerability are limited. 6
English signage in primary school on how to protect
oneself.