Gender-Based Violence

Teachers as Change Agents? Assessing teachers

“…The use of violence is a major method of constructing a man's power over a woman (Jewkes, Flood, & Lang, 2015). In Burkina Faso as in many cultures, men and boys are taught that to be masculine is to be aggressive, strong, and in control, while women and girls are taught to be compatible to that masculinity by creating a space for it through passivity, silence, and submission (Bhana, 2005;Dunne et al, 2006;Leach et al, 2014;Zare, Yaro, & Dan-Koma, 2008). Thus, schoolgirls are more often reported as the victims of sexual GBV in schools, while older students and male teachers are often accused as perpetrators.…”

“…Despite knowledge of the existence of sexual GBV in Burkina Faso, it is difficult to obtain accurate statistics on the frequency and nature of sexual GBV due to underreporting (Beninger, 2013;Devers et al, 2012;Leach et al, 2014;Parkes et al, 2013). However, several international, regional, and national studies (Devers et al, 2012;Helmfrid, 2004;Zare et al, 2008) provide a glimpse into the violence endured by many schoolchildren in Burkina Faso.…”

“…Further there are estimates that over 246 million children experienced some form of violence in schools annually worldwide each year (Greene, Robles, Stout, & Suvilaakso, 2013). The occurrence of genderbased violence (GBV) in schools is a global concern, prompting a growing body of research (Leach, Dunne, & Salvi, 2014).…”

“…In Burkina Faso, half of faculty and staff surveyed confirmed that sexual, physical, verbal, and psychological violence exists in Burkina Faso's secondary schools (Devers, Henry, Hofmann, & Banabdallah, 2012). Recent research (Leach et al, 2014;Porter, 2015) acknowledges that teachers play a complex role as perpetrators, victims, enablers, and/or protectors against sexual GBV in schools. Leach, Dunne, & Salvi (2014) call for additional research on teachers' experiences in addressing GBV in schools.…”

“…Recent research (Leach et al, 2014;Porter, 2015) acknowledges that teachers play a complex role as perpetrators, victims, enablers, and/or protectors against sexual GBV in schools. Leach, Dunne, & Salvi (2014) call for additional research on teachers' experiences in addressing GBV in schools. Despite the limited research on how teachers address sexual GBV in schools, studies (Porter, 2015;Stromquist et al, 2013) demonstrate teachers' vulnerability, particularly female teachers, in protecting themselves and schoolchildren from sexual GBV in sub-Sahara Africa.…”