Walking the Talk - VSO

perceived as safe havens for girls whose worth isstill exclusively tied to their roles as mother andcare provider.In order to maximise the educational benefit ofschooling and to promote girls’ safety andempowerment, girls must be free from violence in theschool setting. 74 Growing evidence of sexual violenceand exploitation in schools shows that girls (and lessoften boys) experience rape, assault and sexualharassment both by teachers and male students. Insome countries, it is considered an inevitable part of theschool environment. 75 Research in Ghana, Malawi andZimbabwe demonstrates the role of schools themselvesin sanctioning sexual and gender-based violence. 76According to the study, this includes male teachers andpupils propositioning girls for sex, teachers andstudents using language sexually explicit and degradingfor girls; and teachers dismissing boys’ intimidatingbehaviour as a normal part of ‘growing up’. Violenceand fear of violence are important reasons for girls notattending school. In fact, many cases go unreportedbecause of fear of stigmatisation by the family orbroader community. 77 As long as the state, officials, thepolice and prosecutors pass the responsibility to eachother, leaving perpetrators unpunished, girls’ right tobodily integrity will keep being violated. 78Women’s rights and awareness-raising: fromawareness to behaviour changeIn some rural areas, state-sponsored health oreducation services are not available. The existence ofaccessible, reliable information in these areas isespecially important because of high levels of ignoranceand misinformation about HIV and AIDS. In Nepal, forexample, “the rural female, though classified as a lowrisk population, is in fact at extreme high risk due to adeeply rooted traditional discrimination belief systemthat regards the discussion of HIV and AIDS as beingtaboo, their traditionally lower, unequal social status andlimited access to means of protection rendering themvulnerable to infection.” 80In such circumstances it is often civil society thatprovides information about how to prevent HIV andAIDS. In other rural areas where health and educationservices are available but limited, civil society plays acrucial role in disseminating information on HIVprevention. For example, one woman in the ruralprovince of Limpopo, one of the poorest regions inSouth Africa, said:“Without the NGOs, we would have very littleinformation. Indeed, many of us would just die ofignorance.” 81Efforts to raise awareness in rural areas about HIVprevention must therefore be increased through nationaland local campaigns. A rights-based approach to publicawareness-raising campaigns on HIV preventionrequires key messages to be tailored for women andgirls. As one focus group participant in Nigeria said:“Women and girls need prevention messagestailored peculiarly to the needs of women, the useof such messages on men worked for familyplanning and the same can be used to tell womenthat using [a] condom is also their right.” 82For example, information must be available in locallanguages in order to ensure that women have access tothe information they need to make informed HIVpreventionchoices. Local clinics should have up-to-datematerials displayed on the walls or available for patients totake away. Information must also be made availablethrough multiple means in order to increase itsaccessibility, for example to illiterate women and girls. Onefocus group in India suggested street theatre should beused to target unique locations frequented by women,such as markets, places of worship and primaryschools. 83 In Nigeria, women and girls cited radiocampaigns and the engagement of celebrities andBox 1. Female guardians (mlezi), TanzaniaA good practice in this area comes from Tanzania, which instituted a ‘female guardian’ programme in primaryschools. This initiative trains guardians or mlezi, one per primary school, to give advice in cases of sexual violenceor harassment and other issues related to sexual health and HIV and AIDS. The programme began as an HIVpreventioneffort when girls identified sexual coercion as a major issue affecting prevention efforts. Mlezi areteachers chosen by their colleagues and trained to give advice and advocate for girls in cases of wrongdoing. Anevaluation of the programme has shown that the establishment of mlezi has significantly increased the reportingof sexual harassment or violence in the schools. 7922 Walking the talk putting women's rights at the heart of the HIV and AIDS response