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Poor knowledge of the mechanisms and fear of reprisals mean that students in schools in the city and province of Maputo do not report the acts of sexual harassment and abuse, often carried out by teachers and other school staff, that they have been victims of.
Sexual harassment and abuse have been a common practice in schools, where girls are the biggest victims. Such acts have been practiced many times by teachers and other administrative staff. There are even cases where sexual harassment involves the students themselves.
Poor knowledge of reporting mechanisms leads students not to seek help if they are sexually harassed or abused. In order to change the current framework, some schools have strengthened internal regulations on matters related to sexual violence.
Despite the fact that, in the Secondary School Unidade 2, there is no record of any case, the school administration has not folded its arms. With this in mind, a program is being implemented at this educational establishment, in partnership with the Foundation for Community Development (FDC), to provide students with mechanisms for reporting sexual harassment.
Deputy director Ambrósio Sibiua believes that, in this educational establishment, there is no reason for students to complain about the lack of knowledge of these mechanisms, as the school management has made an effort to keep them informed.
“We have, in our school, privileged transversal themes, in which teachers must dedicate a few minutes in each class to address matters about domestic violence,” he explains.
Still, he recognizes that many challenges remain, and guarantees that the school’s management will continue to make efforts in this direction, especially because, according to Ambrósio Sibiua, this evil impacts the lives of girls.
Weak reporting concerns GAFMVV
The Office of Assistance to Family and Minors Victims of Violence (GAFMVV) has received few complaints related to sexual harassment and abuse of girls in schools.
For Júlio Vinho, assistance service agent at the Office for Assistance to the Family and Minors Victims of Violence (GAFMVV), the weakness of complaint is a huge concern, which is why he believes that sexual harassment must be fought in a joint way – by society, by the schools and by police.
“It is rare for cases related to sexual harassment to reach the office, while we often get cases of physical violence,” Vinho notes. He understands that sexual harassment and abuse contribute negatively to the development of girls, as well as contributing to school dropout and early pregnancies.
GAFMVV, which last year registered 10 complaints of sexual harassment in schools involving teachers and other employees, has been disseminating information about the complaint mechanisms in educational establishments.
Fear holds students back
The fear of reprisals by the perpetrators of sexual harassment and abuse, especially teachers, deters victims from reporting. Students frequently reveal that they have been the target of threats.
“There are teachers who threaten to fail students who don’t give in,” one student said, on condition of anonymity.
The same sentiment is corroborated by another student, who also declined to be identified. Despite recognizing that the issue of harassment has not been addressed frequently at her school, she is aware of the steps she must take in case she is a victim.
The study by the Movement for Education for All (MEPT), she claims, was little publicized. It explains that responsibility must be individual, so it is necessary that students themselves invest in the search for information about the problem of harassment and sexual abuse against girls in schools.
MEPT creates multi-sectoral mechanism
According to a 2019 MEPT study in 30 selected public secondary schools (17 in seven districts in Maputo province and 13 in five municipal districts in Maputo City), in Mozambique, despite the existence of national and international norms, there is still a weakness of legal mechanisms in the response to the occurrence of sexual harassment or violence against minors.
Isabel da Silva, Executive Director of MEPT, explains that the study came to the conclusion that most students have information regarding the existence of sexual harassment in schools. However, as she explains, they do not have information regarding the mechanisms that can be used to make a complaint if they suffer this type of violence.
As a result of this study, a multi-sectoral mechanism to prevent and combat violence at school level was created. For Isabel da Silva, the mechanism provides answers to some gaps existing in schools.
The MEPT study reveals that sexual harassment in schools leads to school drop-outs and unwanted pregnancies, allows premature marriage, poses a risk to sexual health, as well as causing victims to lose self-esteem.
Regarding opinions on the effectiveness of the way sexual harassment is fought at school, the study reveals that 38.7 percent thought that the fight was effective, while 48.5 percent responded that it was not.
By Ibraimo Assamo
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