Children demand to learn without fear

Children around the world are being empowered to speak up against violence and abuse in schools as part of Plan’s global Learn Without Fear campaign.

Cruel and humiliating forms of punishment, gender-based violence, sexual abuse and bullying are a daily reality for millions of children, but with Plan’s help, many children and their communities are now making it known that they have had enough.

Below are examples of the problems that many children are facing, and how different communities are responding.

Senegal, West Africa

In December 2008 a six-year-old girl went to the toilet in the middle of her morning class. She was raped in the toilet. The next day she was taken to hospital where she was in intensive care for two weeks. Her mother is deeply upset with the school, which has refused to acknowledge the attack. Her attacker has yet to be caught. 

Since October 2008, five similar cases have been reported in the capital Dakar alone. This happens because of a lack of security in schools as well as poor planning of the location of girl’s toilets.

Plan Senegal is pushing for the construction of safe school toilets and also teaming up with a local NGO to lobby the government for a child-friendly justice system that will enable such incidents to be swiftly processed by the Senegalese justice system.

After you have watched the video, keep reading to learn more about how children and Plan-supported communities around the world are responding.

Sierra Leone, West Africa

In Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone in West Africa, the Plan-supported Youth and Advocacy Network-Sierra Leone (YAKAN), recently completed a two-day workshop on sexual exploitation and violence in schools.

More than 50 schoolchildren were trained about how to identify the causes of and prevent violence and sexual exploitation, and an anti-violence crusades club was created.

LEFT: School students in Sierra Leone attend a two-day workshop on sexual exploitation and violence in schools

The Sierra Leone Police and the Human rights Commission supported and  took part in the workshops.

Plan Sierra Leone Country Director Fadimata Alainchar said that in Africa violence, sexual exploitation and abuse are a serious and pressing problem that is often hidden by cultural practices and attitudes towards children.

Ms Alainchar said research by Plan and its partners had uncovered alarmingly high levels of sexual exploitation and abuse in and around schools. “It has also illuminated the link between this form of violence and school dropouts, which undermines national efforts to provide education for all children,” she said.

She said some of the consequences of violence and sexual exploitation and abuse include physical and psychological trauma, academic underperformance, risk of sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV, unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions, death, social stigma, and dropping out of school.

Ms Alainchar called for national legislation and the enforcement of existing laws to render all violence and sexual relationships among children, and between adults and children, illegal.

Orissa, eastern India

The Learn Without Fear campaign is currently being rolled out across India, with launches so far in New Delhi, Uttarakhand and Andhra Pradesh, and Bihar and Rajasthan to come.

As part of the campaign, children in the east-Indian state of Orissa will be encouraged to keep daily diaries and Parent Teacher Associations and other related committees will be required to meet regularly to discuss progress on Learn Without Fear.  

The campaign will focus on many types of violence in schools, including sexual abuse, gangs, corporal punishment and violence on the way to and from schools.

Plan India and its partners Prem and CYSD have already been working with Orissa’s government on “safer schools” and “model schools” concepts. Consultations with children were held in four districts to assess the situation regarding corporal punishment and to get an understand of the perspectives of children, parents, teachers and other duty-bearers on how to end all forms of violence against children.

The launch of the Learn Without Fear campaign in Orissa has been covered by the Indian media, including ExpressBuzz and The Hindu.

El Salvador, South America

Though not specifically part of the Learn Without Fear campaign, Plan El Salvador’s new campaign, “Use your 6 Senses”, aims to tackle the issue of sexual harassment and abuse of children and its impact on children and their communities.

The launch featured a school parade in which about 400 boys and girls from 25 schools participated, accompanied by local personalities including politicians and representatives from government institutions, along with NGOs involved in the issue of preventing sexual violence against children.

The event also included two artistic performances staged by children from different municipalities.

LEFT: Youngsters from La Libertad, Cabañas and Chalatenango, performed plays about sexual harassment and sexual abuse, completely written and choreographed by them.

Plan El Salvador launched the awareness campaign with the help of partners such as the Municipality of Santa Tecla, the Ministries of Education and Health and the People’s Defenders Office. The campaign is also part of the activities carried out by the National Network for the Prevention of Sexual Harassment and Abuse, a 22-member organisation that was initiated by Plan.

The Use your 6 Senses campaign will include activities such as forums, workshops and cultural festivals to raise awareness of sexual violence against children.

You can also read the full story and see more pictures. 

Find out more at the official Learn Without Fear website.