We conducted a one-day school awareness event on GBV Prevention in Qardo, Garowe & Bosaso which reached 600 youth, MOWDAFA representatives and religious leaders participated in it.
The awareness events were simultaneously held in Al Nawawi Secondary school Bosaso and Garowe, HODMAN centre Qardo (students from Al As-har School & sheikh Osman School).
The topics delivered were mainly emphasized on how to reduce GBV by means of creating awareness and educating youth about the causes and effects of GBV. We believe this will help youth cultivate attitudes that do not condone any form of GBV in the long run, the aim being to create gender activism among youths, especially schools learners, help both genders learn to have control over their own bodies and break cultural practices that impede such control, engage both genders in GBV prevention, raise young people awareness on GBV in the virtual space, constitute a Knowledge resource for the public and the victims
Topics covered:
- Risks of GBV
- Role of youth to prevent GBV cases
- Gender activism
- Forms of GBV
- impact of gender based violence on young people
We selected the youth in secondary schools because the youth in schools are mostly affected by GBV and also because they are sexually active, in addition the youth can be the real agents of change within their communities on GBV issues and attitudinal change on GBV.
We urged them to play a role in ensuring the GBV cases are stopped prevented in the communities they live and in their own families. We also reminded them that women have fundamental rights and which are in tandem with human rights and kind of abuses should be stopped, because the girls are their sisters, mothers, and no one like his/her sister, mother, aunty and niece to be abused and violated and any abuse and gender violation should be reported to the authorities and relevant agencies.
A central problem we identified under the scope of the review is the fact that many forms and incidents of gender violence in schools are not reported as such. Most often, gender violence is not considered differently from other forms of school violence
Cases of gender-based violence in schools may be categorized and reported differently and without reference to gender, e.g. unregulated and excessive corporal punishment, bullying and physical assault (sometimes with guns or knives) should be included alongside sexual harassment, sexual abuse and rape because they are also manifestations of gender violence.
The objectives were:
- To increase knowledge and understanding of gender-based violence and the relationships between boys and girls, men and women, placing emphasis on male norms and Behaviours
- To raise awareness of the relevant legislation and the roles and functions of existing agencies working towards the reduction of GBV
- To identify the linkages between GBV and HIV/AIDS and the effect of GBV on the spread of HIV/AIDS
- To encourage beneficiaries to adapt to non-violent Behaviour and to encourage peaceful means of resolving conflicts and stimulating healthy life styles
- To build the capacity of students, teachers and community leaders to raise awareness of and respond to GBV and to advocate for GBV prevention within their respective organizations and peer groups, thereby leading to the sustainability of GBV prevention and alleviation activities
Details of the awareness session
The students learnt that GBV is an umbrella term for any harmful act that is perpetrated against a person’s will and that is based on socially ascribed differences between males and females. GBV can occur in both private and public spheres, meaning that it can be perpetrated in the home by family members (e.g. domestic violence) as well as by those outside of the family, such as neighbors, co-workers, strangers, community leaders, etc. Whereas the main causes of GBV are rooted in gender inequality and discrimination, risks of GBV are exacerbated during emergencies as a result of the erosion of protective structures and community cohesion, thus increasing both vulnerabilities and risks for women and girls. It is within this context that GBV must be understood as a life-threatening protection issue that needs to be taken into account and prioritized from the onset of a crisis.
We also encouraged young people to explore the gender-related expectations placed on them by their family, their society and the media and that young people learn to critically assess the impact of rigid gender norms on their own identities and make the links between gender norms, inequality and abuse. Through this process, they were empowered to embrace their right to be valued and respected for who they truly are (and not what society expects them to be) and their responsibility to value and respect others equally. In Session 2, young people developed an understanding of different types of gender-based violence including physical, psychological and sexual abuse. The main activity focuses on scenarios of gender-based bullying in school. Being able to name gender-based bullying, to acknowledge its impact and understand why it happens empowers young people to stand up for themselves and their friends, as well as consider where their own behavior or actions might be hurtful to someone else.
Conclusion:
Mr. Abdihakiim Ahmed closed the one-day GBV Awareness event with vote of thanks. He asserted the members present to spread the message without fail to all their respective families and communities they come from.