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Safe Schools Program: Ghana

Why is sexual violence in schools so prevalent? What are the links between abuse in schools, lack of information, and poverty? How should schools tackle the psychological, physical and sexual abuse of students? These are some of the tough questions that the recently launched Safe Schools Program is asking. The Safe Schools program is piloting its work on reducing gender-based violence in schools in three African countries this year: Ghana, Ethiopia and Malawi. Ghana was the first country to be visited by a team of USAID gender and education experts in January 2004.

The team conducted an assessment on how schools are welcoming or unwelcoming environments for students and teachers, and what kind of behavior makes girl and boy students uncomfortable to the point that they may not want to return. They visited schools in Accra, and eastern and northern Ghana. The team interviewed teachers, officials from the Ghana Education Service, NGOs working in education, legal rights, and HIV/AIDS prevention, the teachers’ union, the Federation of Parents, and many other organizations about their approach to addressing school-related gender-based violence.

Community members and school officials alike recognized that school violence is a problem in their communities, but it was clear that they had varying opinions about what constituted abuse, and what actions were appropriate to address it. Neither parents nor teachers were aware of official avenues for reporting cases of abuse. And while a code of conduct exists for teachers, there is a lack of knowledge about the code. School guidance counselors have not been trained in recognizing or counseling young people about the issue of school-related gender-based violence.

The Safe Schools program is an important first step toward achieving gender equality in education and decreasing gender-based violence in schools. The Safe Schools team is planning to conduct a similar assessment in Malawi and Ethiopia in the coming months.

The Safe Schools program is implemented by DevTech Systems, Inc. and its partner, World Education.

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