Girls’ Education
Studies show that violence is a key factor in denying girls their right to education
Girls often suffer gendered discrimination both within school and within the community, from teachers, parents and peers.
This leads to lower enrolment in school, poor retention and under-achievement. This in turn helps to perpetuate gender discrimination, restricting girls’ life choices and contributing to a continuing cycle of early pregnancy, early marriage and poor health.
The attitudes and behaviours of parents, teachers and other children have been identified by girls themselves as the key barriers to participation. In addition, teacher training often does not address gender issues or child-friendly teaching techniques, which lead to the marginalisation of girls within the classroom.
By working in a combined and sustainable manner with girls, boys, parents, teachers and other actors, we can approve the retention and achievement of girls in schools and have a wider impact on how far girls’ voices are valued in decisions that affect their lives.
Most ActionAid funded programmes around the world are working to improve the education of girls in one form or another. Some striking initiatives include:
TEGINT: Transforming the Education of Girls in Nigeria and Tanzania – a project supported by Comic Relief - which seeks to achieve a transformation in the education of girls in Tanzania and Nigeria by addressing underlying gender inequalities both in school and in the community.The project works:
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To build the capacity of girls to challenge gender discrimination.
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To promote participatory modules on gender and HIV/AIDS in national pre-service and in-service teacher training
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To build capacity and provide ongoing support to school management committees and the wider community addressing HIV and AIDS and girls rights in education.
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To facilitate the development of legal and policy frameworks and good practice, that will enhance and protects girls’ rights in school.
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To build the capacity of national NGOs - CAPP and Maarifa Ni Ufunguo - as leading national organizations in education, gender and HIV/AIDS.
Stop Violence Against Girls In School
Imagine wanting to learn but being too afraid to go to school…this is the reality for thousands of girls across the world whose rights to education are being denied because of the violence they face on the way to and in school every day.
In 2004 ActionAid undertook a series of studies in 12 countries in Africa and Asia which indicated that the violence that girls encounter in and on the way to school constitutes a major barrier to their rights to and in education.
Research also revealed a direct link between violence in and around schools and negative outcomes in girls’ educational achievement including: enrolment, attendance, and completion rates as well as a loss of self-confidence and increased vulnerability to HIV and AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections.
(read the report)
It is becoming increasingly clear that the Millennium Development Goals (link to MDGs) on primary education and gender cannot be achieved until these structural barriers such as violence against girls and its underlying causes (including unequal gender relations) are addressed.
In many cases though laws and policies exist to protect girls from violence, they are often poorly understood or implemented and fail to guarantee girls’ safety or allow them to seek redress.
ActionAid believes that violence against girls is an urgent priority which must be addressed now to end violence against girls in school and to guarantee girls’ rights to education.
Find out more about how ActionAid is working to STOP Violence Against Girls in School.
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