In Niger, Equipop is working with Young Leaders for Advocacy in their campaign to combat gender-based and sexual violence in schools. Join us!
According to their survey, one in five students has been sexually assaulted at school. In all the schools they visited, gender-based and sexual violence were present. It is urgent to break the taboo and call on the government to take action! From October 12 to 26, 2022, Young Leaders for Advocacy are running the #ZeroViolence campaign to encourage people to speak out and call on the Department of Education to review the internal regulations of public secondary schools. This mobilization is part of the "Jades II" project, Jeunes et Adolescent·e·s En Santé phase 2 (Healthy Youth and Adolescents phase 2), which aims to strengthen advocacy for the sexual and reproductive rights and health of young people in Niger, particularly young women, who are exposed to multiple vulnerabilities. It is being implemented with the support of Lafia Matassa, Equipop, the NGO Solthis, and expert consultants.
SEXIST AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE: A REALITY IN NIGERIAN SCHOOLS The Young Leaders for Advocacy are 30 young Nigeriens who have been involved since March 2020 in the fight against gender-based and sexual violence (VSS) in schools. Between May 23 and June 4, 2022, they conducted a survey in seven public secondary schools in municipalities I, III, and IV of Niamey and I, II, and III of Maradi. Carried out with the approval of the Ministry of Health's ethics committee, the survey resulted in more than 750 questionnaires and more than 30 focus groups with students and school officials. The results are alarming:
- More than one in five students report having been victims of gender-based and sexual violence (sexual touching, forced kissing, denigration, rape, etc.).
- 83% of students who are victims of school violence have never spoken about the violence they have suffered, most often because of fear, lack of confidence, or not knowing who to turn to.
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- The authors cited are mainly students, but also teachers and staff members.
- Nearly one in two students (45%) does not consider rape (forced sexual intercourse) to be sexual violence.
LET'S WORK TOGETHER FOR #ZEROVIOLENCE!
To highlight this major social issue and make our voices heard by the authorities, Young Leaders for Advocacy is launching the #ZeroViolence campaign on October 12, in the media and on social networks.
Throughout this campaign and duringan advocacy event on October 20, 2022, they will ask the Ministry of Education to review Decree No. 0064 of March 16, 2020, which sets out the framework for internal regulations in secondary schools, in order to prevent, protect, and care for victims and witnesses of gender-based and sexual violence in schools.
Join the #ZeroViolence campaign on Twitter and Facebook !
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Gender-based and sexual violence can be defined as follows: Gender-based violence : Sexism refers to all prejudices or discrimination based on a person's sex or, by extension, gender. Gender-based violence consists of humiliating or belittling a person based on their sex and/or gender and can manifest itself in various ways: discrimination, physical violence, insults, but also "jokes," remarks, etc. Sexual violence : This refers to any sexual act, attempt to obtain a sexual act, comment, or advance of a sexual nature directed at a person's sexuality using coercion, committed by a person regardless of their relationship with the victim. Sexual violence includes rape or attempted rape, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, and sexual harassment. |
