SEXUAL EXPLOITATION IN THE LEARNING INSTITUTIONS - INVESTIGATION

  Girls in North Eastern are in risk Losing Their Futures

 The World Health’s Organization definition of sexual exploitation as any “actual or attempted abuse of position of vulnerability, differential power or trust, for sexual purposes,”

Sexual harassment and violence in educational institutions is an abuse of power by teachers and lecturers and corrupts the education system. It has other severe consequences such as leading to girls and women dropping out and left in the hand of stigmatization.

Northern Kenya is a Somali predominant region, a community who stand their norms and their unique tradition way of life. Each child is given an opportunity to learn so that they achieve their dreams- sexual harassment, exploitation remain one of the long protracted silent ordeals that remains the biggest untold menace- an n act that has left bricks of pain, accumulation of injustice that left many young girls or boys suffer in the hand of their protector.

Corruption as abuse of power, sexual violence in educational institutions is a case that undermines the integrity of the [education] system. Almost all schools both primaries and secondary they are besieged by misuse of power and privilege to harmonize the name of the institutions or the teachers implicated in the sexual exploitation saga- on my long years of observations, investigation across the sub-counties i have come across range of acts that are subjected to pupils and students in schools.

Students, especially girls, may be deterred from participating actively in class and seeking academic excellence for fear of attracting unwanted attention from teachers. This has created a stressful, intimidating learning environment which also lowered the concentration, motivation and thus leading to poor performance.

In Sub-Saharan Africa in particular, there are high levels of dropout among female students who become pregnant, some as a result of sexual liaisons with teachers. Pregnancy usually signals the end of the girl’s education- in Wajir County early pregnancy is a thorny issue that is little addressed by all stakeholders- many aspiring young girls were lured into fake relationship by some teachers forcing such angels to suffer. Quite few who were impregnated their dreams shattered.

Private schools such cases are covered due to a protection of identity of the school while public cases ends without follow up – parents wallow in pain with nothing to do later make a local arrangement in proposing the girl to a close relative .

In boarding school there massive dean of sexual exploitations that tactfully architectured, a trend that is little understood by the administration- wooing girls into relationships while the normal lessons is going on- night prey by the teachers. In anonymity some of the girls said some teachers who live nearby school quarters give head up to the lady they are interested and at night they sneak plan is fulfilled – this girls are given examinations paper so that to do revisions before doing, upgrade of the marks, money, holiday tuition arrangement especially when schools are closed they travel to cities or in towns in  case the lady resides outside(outskirts of town) and the teacher in town- to keep the relationship it’s kind of holiday based connections.

Private tuition is a another syndrome is not easily understood – the parent hire a teacher to give lesson at home, here no much of coaching from the parent, the teacher take full set up on how to net this young girl- 40% of the their time they engage in sexting, making long conversation, promising love as young fourteen years old their mind is corrupted so they take advantage of her innocence- a network of exploitation till high school some young girls were even eloped secretly by this teachers – some even while in tuition at home they were forced into night stand up twilight , in Wajir several cases happened a teacher were caught red-handed while forcefully defiling a pupil while at their home during private tuitions- a cobweb of darkens and disaster. 

Some were even caught at their respected institution (staff rooms, offices in private, public schools) engaging sexually during the break or after class break- some rogue teachers went further forming whatsup groups to nab this young girls either video swapping or image especially nude pictures- its gateway of wasting this girls. Even some never went for transfer why by use a corrupt way they sway their interest to stay longer and protected. 

Sexual violence in education ranges from low-level gratuitous actions to convey messages of power – such as inappropriate sexualised comments or gestures, or unwanted physical contact such as touching, pinching or groping – through threats of exam failure, punishment or public ridicule, and sexual assault and rape.

In higher education, it often involves sex in exchange for good grades or leaked exam questions, and sometimes also admission to an institution or to a high-status course, the price of resistance is likely to be failure or exclusion.

Perpetrators can be lecturers or administrative staff. In higher education, female staffs are also known to be targeted by predatory male staff and sometimes by male students- bullying the female to be a friend with benefits or a luring mediators or sometimes they acts as a leeway to ease on preying to this young girls in learning institutions.

Sexual violence in education has been largely ignored by policy-makers, education leaders and law enforcement agencies for long despite some laws in place on the implementation of said laws is more paperwork why because corruption plays biggest threat in realization of  the girls child dreams “Where it has been addressed. In Wajir, Mandera, Garissa or even ASAL areas girls from these regions are prone to such ordeals why because with poorly resourced education systems, low levels of accountability and high levels of poverty and gender inequality. It is also experiencing conflicts for decades.

There is also considerable under-reporting by students who fear victimisation, including being failed in tests and exams, expelled from the school, stigmatisation or ridicule; or because they believe that no action will be taken against the perpetrator if they report incidents.

Amina not her real name lost her future, her friends, and, for a while, her family, when she got pregnant at 17. The man who got her pregnant, and whom she had been seeing for nearly two years, rejected her and acknowledged nothing.

Her teacher and he still teach in the same school and lives in the same village. Amina, who had to abandon her dream of being a lawyer, has to see him in the community as she walks through the village with the son he rejected, her father kicked her out of the house when he learnt that she is pregnant many likes of Amina are in the society left in limbo- teachers relationship with student are a threat to generation to come.

In Wajir, cases such as Amina are settled privately, in what is commonly known as “MASLAHA” with the men at least agreeing to pay a stipend, to influence the poor parents to accept the exchange of justice a more of impunity syndrome and in some cases agreeing to marry the girl. That is a problem in itself in a County with persistently high rates of child marriage and violence against women and girls. In Amina case, the man refused to accept any responsibility at all.

Sexuality is still a taboo topic, so the girls who are the victims of the abuse also bear the brunt of social stigma

Administration cover up scam

 

Some school principals don’t take girls’ sexual harassment claims seriously, or punish the teachers. Some teachers try to manipulate the situation, sometimes even threatening to give girls bad grades if they don’t have sex with them. Other times, they offer to pay a girl’s school fees or give them money for food.

Many students I spoke to especially the secondary schools students complained against some rogue principles not taking heed of the open sexual prey either verbally or physically committed by some teachers in their schools.

 Teachers rudely on learning time exposing their sexual needs towards girls .Also they complained some teachers marking their grades down because they refused to have sex with him. Even when they forwarded their complained the teacher continues reprimanding his behaviour or the abuse why they use their position of authority over the girls. He carried on teaching at the school.

Some teachers abuse their position of authority by sexually harassing girls and engaging in sexual relations with them, many of whom are under 18- acts of paedophilia, taking advantage of the adolescence aged girls this mostly happened at school time- calling in the staffrooms after class- rubbing, massaging ,touching their private parts to lure into sex or even weekends in their rental houses-  a trend that happened across the locations- with the parent mostly pastoral they have no knowledge on what is happening, for the respect notion little is untold, again with high illiteracy this bleaked the opportunities for pupils to have discussion with their parents.

The teachers often lure them with the promise of money, good grades, food, or items such as mobile phones and new clothes. Female students—and to a certain extent, teachers and school officials—often characterized it as “relationships

Sexual exploitation and harassment by teacher’s takes place in a variety of ways: some teachers would approach their students –during classes, school games, curriculum activities or school evening activities — demanding a favour or requesting their phone numbers. When girls turned down teachers’ proposals, they believed the teachers punished them for rejecting their advances by awarding them lower grades than they deserved, ignoring and not letting them participate in class discussions or exercises. Often, the exploitation and harassment span months or in one case in years.

Girls are also affected by the gender stereotypes and sexual overtones they experience in class.

 Teachers use inappropriate language or gestures –for example calling names darling dear, describing girls’ bodies or clothes in a sexual manner—when talking to students directly or referring to other students in their class. Some girls feel wary when they know a teacher is making advances on a friend or classmate. When these types of harassment or abuse take place, teachers, parents, or even classmates, often blame the girls for attracting unnecessary attention from teaches, or provoking teachers with their outfits- this beyond unacceptable the conducts of the teacher is enshrined in the TTC ACTs

But many cases of sexual exploitation and harassment by teachers have gone unreported, and school authorities have not held perpetrators accountable. This is partly because reporting cases of sexual abuse or violence in schools overwhelmingly relies on a principal’s decision to act on or ignore a complaint, and because families are reluctant to report cases to the police. Although some principals take allegations seriously, they try to conduct informal investigations, talk to staff discretely, and address problems internally, to protect their staff, retain teachers, or prevent scrutiny from education inspectorates or child protection committees.

In addition, talking about sexual exploitation, harassment, and abuse is considered a taboo topic for many girls. Moreover, many students do not fully understand what sexual offenses are. Education about the full spectrum of offenses, or how to prevent and report sexual exploitation, harassment or abuse is scarce, and certainly not part of a national effort.

Even when girls who are sexually exploited, harassed or abused want to come forward, they are reluctant to report cases within schools for fear of being stigmatized or shamed. When they do come forward, senior school officials do not always take their word for it, and in some cases, are told that they have provoked their teachers. This has led to mistrust among students, and a feeling that reporting abuses will amount to nothing. As a result, girls affected by sexual exploitation, harassment, or other forms of abuse, rarely see their cases investigated, or see their perpetrators brought to account through the judiciary and the Ministry of Education.

The government should focus on increasing accountability for school-related sexual offenses. It should ensure principals and senior school staff understand their obligation to properly investigate any allegation of sexual exploitation, harassment, or abuse. It should introduce adequate trainings on child protection for all teachers, through pre and in-service training.

The government should strive to end the culture of silence around school-related sexual exploitation, harassment, and abuse, including by making reporting processes clearer, confidential and student-friendly, and roll-out a public education campaign directed at students and young people.

 This campaign should tackle the stereotypes, taboos and stigma that make girls and young women feel that they are guilty for sexual abuses committed against them. The campaign should also seek to equip students with the knowledge to understand what sexual exploitation, harassment and abuse are, and the confidence to speak out whenever it happens. 

It’s a collective responsibility to stand against any sexual exploitation tamed toward our dreamful girls- with high demand of technology it’s upon the parents to ensure that they raise their kids better way. Parents should be more open to their children have a good communication or discuss because todays generations lacks communication with no iota  that is what we have seen it’s the biggest gap- parent should be free to their children.

On the teachers they should be guided by the laws, ethics and think beyond their urge needs they must have a call of identity as number two parents – they must be the first role model not hyena feasting to their cabs – faith, trust, togetherness and we must end this menace in our education sector if not I fear our generation will be wasted flowers.

Twitter: @WaWajir