violence against children WORLD REPORT ON - CRIN

“Curriculum is far more than what is taught.”Mary Joy Pigozzi, Director, Division for the Promotion of Quality Education, UNESCO XV150Violence against children in schools and educational settingsgender-based violence in hundreds of communitiesin Africa, Asia, Latin America andthe Caribbean. 209 Parallel workshops are heldfor males and females in order to provide safeand supportive environments in which bothcan feel comfortable talking about sensitiveissues, but participants from male and femaleworkshops also come together periodically toshare concerns and insights. Themes include“why do we behave as we do” and “how canwe change.” Results have included safer sexualbehaviour, reduced domestic violence, moresharing of household tasks by men, improvedcommunications between couples and parentsand children, especially about sensitive issuesthat pertain to sexual health.In Ethiopia, communities have taken the initiativein establishing Girls’ Education AdvisoryCommittees (GEACs) that address thewhole problem of providing girls with accessto education of a high standard. GEACs haveestablished Girls’ Clubs that serve as safe placesfor girls to talk, encourage them to reportproblems about harassment and abuse. OtherGEAC initiatives include disciplinary committeesto hold teachers accountable, ‘police’to protect girls on their way to and fromschool; constructing separate latrines for girls;insisting on female teachers in schools; trainingboys and girls on how to treat each otherrespectfully; providing counselling for girls insafe places; and enlisting religious and clanleaders to stop abductions and child marriages.As a result, in one primary school the dropoutrate for girls fell from 57% to 19%. 210Curriculum: What shouldbe taught and how?The curriculum, teaching methods and thewhole school climate should teach, illustrateand reinforce the principles of gender equality,human rights and non-violence and the skillsto apply these principles in day-to-day life.They should also serve to increase children’sresilience, so they can cope with violence andrecover when it occurs.Traditionally, school curriculum has been very‘content’ focussed (what), with less attentionpaid to learning skills and processes (how),such as inquiry, problem-solving, and decisionmaking.There is increasing recognition that,in a rapidly changing world, it is necessary toteach children the how of constructive humanbehaviour so that they can protect themselvesfrom harm, and take action to avoid harm toothers. This kind of education is often called‘life skills-based education’.Life skills-based education should be part of apackage that includes education on the principlesof gender equality, human rights andnon-violence and how and why these principleshave evolved and can be put into practice. 211,212This may involve dealing with highly personaland sensitive issues relating to the unique characteristicsof each child, that child’s familybackground, religious and cultural traditions,and subjects that were once considered tabooin discussions involving children. Dealing withsuch issues requires development not only of thecurriculum but of appropriate teaching methods.This involves going beyond traditional rotelearning to encouraging children to ask ques-