ENOUGH IS ENOUGH : Ending sexual harassment against girls in school settings !
Nov 19, 2023
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The GRAIFA (Group to support women's empowerment initiatives) organized in partnership and with the support of Hect Actie Fonds on October 19, 2023, in Uvira, South Kivu, in Eastern DRC, a denunciation and public mobilization campaign entitled '' Enough is enough with sexual harassment against girls in schools settings'' :
The Campaign translated in a parade of Uvira school girls and women’s rights defenders to publicly denounce the persistence of sexual harassment practices against girls in schools settings and to urge public authorities, managers of educational institutions and community leaders at different levels to take strong and courageous measures aimed at protecting girls against sexual harassment and thus guaranteeing respect for their physical integrity, rights and dignity in the school environment. '
The event was also an opportunity to inform, raise awareness and mobilize the general public through posters, of the magnitude of sexual harassment practices in schools settings, mainly against girls and their negative effects on quality of their learning, their physical integrity, human security, better mental and intellectual development as well as their dignity both in schools and in the whole community.
The posters displayed during the march contained four main messages which were the subject of denunciation and demand by the pupils mostly girls and women activists to public authorities and community leaders:
-Stop Sexual harassment against girls in schools !
-Sexual harassment in schools is a serious violation of dignity, rights and freedom of girls !
-No to the culture of silence on sexual harassment against girls in schools !
-The Young girl has the right to the physical integrity and the dignity of her person in a school environment !
The march left from the School Ekyaba, in Nyaminda Quarter to the Office of the Inspector of Primary, Secondary and Vocational Education where the pupils (schoolgirls) and women rights activists gave him a pleading note on sexual harassment practices in schools.
Pupils (School girls) and women activists with the accompaniment of GRAIFA have issued the following recommendations to public authorities, managers of educational institutions and community leaders:
(1) Ensure wide dissemination to the general public, through appropriate channels, of information on the legal/judicial provisions relating to sexual harassment against girls and the related penalties with a view to contributing to their effective prevention and repression;
(2) Produce and disseminate administrative circular notes prohibiting and notifying punitive (repressive) measures targeting school directors, managers, and teachers to encourage them to prevent sexual harassment against schoolgirls.
(3) Initiate regular investigations into acts of sexual harassment in schools and take exemplary sanctions against their perpetrators.
(4) Take incentive measures to encourage girls who are victims of sexual harassment acts to break the culture of silence and fear of social stigma so that to raise their voices and safely report to the authorities the vile acts of sexual abuse of which they are victims.
(5) Establish anonymous mechanisms for reporting by pupils/schoolgirls of possible acts constituting sexual harassment in the school environment
(6) Take useful measures to encourage schoolgirls to better know, protect, defend and claim their rights.
Started at 9:00 a.m., the non-violent march against sexual harassment practices on girls in schools settings ended at 1:00 p.m. in a good-natured atmosphere!
Help us to Help : We are looking for support from generous people and organizations like you so that we can continue our work and contribute significantly to improving the lives of vulnerable women and girls in the DRC. Your gift to support our action will be much appreciated!
GRAIFA's work mainly falls into the following areas:
- Gender, women’s rights & social status
- Women’s empowerment
- Women’s entrepreneurship
- Female leadership
- Reproductive health & rights
- Farming & food security
-Peace Building
- Sustainable development
https://kivutimes.com/uvira-lorganisation-graifa-en-partenariat-avec-hect-actie-fonds-dans-le-combat-contre-lharcelement-sexuel-fait-aux-filles-en-milieu-scolaire/
Warmly,
Mrs Victorine SIFA
Chairman, GRAIFA DRC
Group to Support Women's Empowerment Initiatives
Group d'Appui aux Initiatives Féminines d'Autopromotion
Facebook : Graifa Ong
E: graifardc@gmail.com
T : +243 99 34 220 48 / +243 97 594 53 96
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