Girls at the Heart: A Review of Girls’ Participation in Initiatives to Combat Violence in School
| Authors | Type | Stream | Full Paper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asmara Figue, Akanksha Marphatia, Victorine Djitrinou, Jenny Parkes | Commissioned | Violence |  en |
The paper aims to demonstrate the importance of engaging girls and other stakeholders in addressing gender-based violence in education. It draws upon a child-rights-based framework to participation that seeks to empower girls to contest the various forms of violence that prevent them enjoying their rights to and in education. The paper draws on data from the research literature on violence against girls, with an emphasis on studies focusing on participation. It will illustrate practical examples at the local, national and international levels from ActionAid and partner organisations.
Gender-based violence in education
The paper is structured around conceptual frameworks that aim to illustrate the ways in which unequal gender and power relations within and across all segments of society contribute to the perpetuation of various forms of violence against girls. We will draw upon Gaventa’s work to explore the how invisible, visible and hidden processes of power and patriarchy maintain violence against girls (Gaventa, 2006). We will also draw upon research on the gendered forces of power to explore how discriminatory attitudes, beliefs and practices intersect with economic and other factors to perpetuate patterns of gender discrimination and violence. Connections between schooling, gender, poverty and other forms of discrimination and subordination will also be emphasized in our analysis.
Rights-based & child-friendly approaches to participation
Frameworks on participation will also be explored to illustrate how initiatives which focus specifically on empowering children and in particular girls can lead to transformative change (Hart, 2001). In particular, we will highlight the importance of applying a child-rights based approach to work which focusses strongly on enabling meaningful participation in order to empower girls to challenge the culture of violence (Save the Children 2004). Since gender-based violence is set within the larger context of social inequality, we will also illustrate the importance of engaging children and other key stakeholders in addressing violence in education. Such engagement will ensure initiatives are more relevant and sustainable and help people develop the skills, knowledge and confidence they need in order to claim their rights as part of the process of empowerment.
Examples from the field: enhancing girls’ participation & engaging key stakeholders
We will provide practical examples of the participation of girls and other key stakeholders in projects to combat violence against girls as a means of demonstrating how such engagement can place the issue of violence against girls in education on the public agenda and facilitate the implementation of long-term changes in policy and practice. We will emphasise the links between participation and child protection, and highlight the need to adhere to high standards of practice to ensure children are safeguarded from harm at all times.
Challenges
We will also discuss the challenges involved in promoting the meaningful participation of girls and other stakeholders. For example, while we recognise the importance of participation, we also pose a number of critical questions around who participates and the nature and purpose of this engagement. In particular, we argue that these considerations are particularly important to address because of the sensitivity required when addressing issues of gender-based violence.
Way forward
We aim to illustrate how strong linkages between research, practice and policy can potentially improve interventions that support girls’ empowerment, decrease violence and improve girls’ ability to enjoy their education rights.
