The evolution of policy enactment on gender-based violence in schools

Abstract

This article examines how policies and strategies to address school-related gender-based violence have evolved since 2000, when gender-based violence within education was largely invisible. Through an exploration of policy enactment in three countries-Liberia, South Africa, and Brazil-it traces remarkable progress in policy, programmes, and research. The analysis asks why, despite such achievements, there is little evidence that these policy enactments have succeeded in reducing violence. The case studies reveal disconnects in the ways violence is conceptualized and acted upon by policy actors, which inhibit effective action. The article concludes that more attention is needed to the 'middle level' space between national and local policy enactments, and to tackling-at national, district, school and community levels-the norms and inequalities at the heart of gender-based violence.Keywords Gender Á Violence Á Policy Á South Africa Á Brazil Á Liberia School-related gender-based violence (SRGBV) affects girls and boys across the globe, manifested in physical, sexual, and psychological acts of violence, and underpinned by norms, stereotypes, inequalities, and exclusion. In the twenty-first century, gender-based violence in schools has increasingly come to international attention, with a remarkable growth in research, policy, and practice since 2000. I begin this article by tracing how these developments in educational policies and strategies have come about at an international

The Safety of Women and Girls in Educational Settings: A Global Overview and Suggestions for Policy Change

“…International treaties do not pay specific attention to school-related GBV (Parkes 2016); however, policy should focus on the 'practical inadequacies of (policy) enactment in the resourcing, training, and building-in mechanisms for accountability related to SRGBV [school-related GBV]' (Parkes 2016: 102). All implemented or proposed programmatic changes should have accessible outcome measures.…”

“…Parkes's (2016: 93) study illustrated the problems of implementing policy when definitions of what constitutes violence are not uniform, and it pushed for changes in the 'middle level' (i.e., school, community, district and national levels). The clear conceptualisation and use of culturally IJCJ&SD 39 www.crimejusticejournal.com © 2020 9(1) specific policies is vital for success (Parkes 2016). Through strong commitment at the institutional level, institutions can shift norms and values to allow women and girls equal access to resources and reduce discrimination (UNESCO 2019: 23).…”

“…Through strong commitment at the institutional level, institutions can shift norms and values to allow women and girls equal access to resources and reduce discrimination (UNESCO 2019: 23). Policy changes have demonstrated a focus on GBV and have provided strong foundations for future work (Parkes 2016). Sexual assault and harassment are experienced by women and girls across the world.…”

Mechanisms of adopting and reformulating comprehensive sexuality education policy in Ethiopia

“…These female participants attributed their lack of influence in the policy process and the discrimination they faced partly to the controversial nature of CSE, but also to their status as (young, unmarried) women. Thus, adopting CSE as a national policy does not merely mean ensuring that it is mentioned in policy text, but also requires the continuous challenging of hierarchical social and gender regimes at all levels of the policy adoption process (Connell 2012b;Parkes 2016).…”

“…This legacy remains today, where many policies reflect Eurocentric or Western ideals. Furthermore, Parkes (2016) concludes, based on an analysis of policy enactment on school-related gender-based violence, that policy enactment is not only a matter of overcoming practical challenges; 'It is about reflecting on our deeply held beliefs and practices, through which we knowingly and unknowingly collude with gender-based violence' (p. 103). Thus, policy adoption and reformulation require creating dialogues between actors and institutions at various levels to gain conceptual clarity, while challenging gender and power relations (Unterhalter and North 2017; Connell 2012b).…”