Gender-violence and education in Malawi: a study of violence against girls as an obstruction to universal primary school education

Bisika, Thomas; Ntata, Pierson; Konyani, Sidon

doi:10.1080/09589230903057183

Cited by 34 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…The research noted that violence against girls had a negative impact on girls attending and performing well in school. 44 However, emotional abuse has not previously specifically been identified as a major barrier to enrolment and may need to be considered more carefully in future research. In addition, this study found that harsh physical violence appeared to affect grade progression—a possible proxy measure for school performance.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 21 , 22 In both South Africa and Malawi, high community violence rates have been recorded. 23 , 24 In Malawi, violence is a key barrier for girls attending and performing well in school 25 and impedes academic progress. 26 A large South African study 27 examined adolescent risk pathways and found that both community violence and child abuse contributed to multiple negative outcomes for children.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exposure to violence predicts poor educational outcomes in young children in South Africa and Malawi

et al. 2015

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BackgroundViolence during childhood may affect short and long-term educational factors. There is scant literature on younger children from resource poor settings.MethodsThis study assessed child violence experiences (harsh punishment and exposure to domestic or community violence) and school enrolment, progress and attendance in children attending community-based organisations in South Africa and Malawi (n=989) at baseline and at 15 months' follow-up, examining differential experience of HIV positive, HIV affected and HIV unaffected children.ResultsViolence exposure was high: 45.4% experienced some form of psychological violence, 47.8% physical violence, 46.7% domestic violence and 41.8% community violence. Primary school enrolment was 96%. Violence was not associated with school enrolment at baseline but, controlling for baseline, children exposed to psychological violence for discipline were more than ten times less likely to be enrolled at follow-up (OR 0.09; 95% CI 0.01 to 0.57). Harsh discipline was associated with poor school progress. For children HIV positive a detrimental effect of harsh physical discipline was found on school performance (OR 0.10; 95% CI 0.02 to 0.61).ConclusionViolence experiences were associated with a number of educational outcomes, which may have long-term consequences. Community-based organisations may be well placed to address such violence, with a particular emphasis on the challenges faced by children who are HIV positive.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exposure to violence predicts poor educational outcomes in young children in South Africa and Malawi

et al. 2015

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“…Malawi introduced free primary education in 1994 and gender parity in primary school has been achieved, however the quality of education has suffered as expansion rapidly increased. 110 A Gender Appropriate Curriculum Unit was established at the Malawi Institute of Education (MIE) by the MOEST to provide gender sensitivity training, ensure materials are gender neutral, and integrate gender sensitivity into the primary level curricula. 111 The UNESCO 10 country review of LSE found the LSE curriculum lacked depth and some lessons may actually further propel the gender norms they seek to undo.…”

Section: Education Sector Efforts To Improve Gender Equalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Education sector response to early and unintended pregnancy: A review of country experiences in sub-Saharan Africa

Birungi¹,

Undie²,

MacKenzie³

et al. 2015

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United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) UNESCO-the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization-is a specialized United Nations agency that was founded on 16 November 1945. UNESCO promotes international cooperation among its 195 Member States and eight Associate Members to contribute to the building of a culture of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information. UNESCO is the lead agency on sexuality education, developing tools and guidance such as the International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education (2009) which are used by ministries and civil society in the development of sexuality education curricula, policies and implementation support. Technical support is provided at country and regional level to ministries of education and civil society organizations in their efforts to strengthen HIV and health education. The Population Council confronts critical health and development issues-from stopping the spread of HIV to improving reproductive health and ensuring that young people lead full and productive lives. Through biomedical, social science, and public health research in 50 countries, we work with our partners to deliver solutions that lead to more effective policies, programs, and technologies that improve lives around the world. Established in 1952 and headquartered in New York, the Council is a non-governmental, non-profit organization governed by an international board of trustees. www.popcouncil.org

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“…As the notion of children's rights and respect for African cultural values are held in tension, childhood in Malawi continues to be strongly informed by a patriarchal culture (Tiessen 2008) that locates power on the basis of gender and age. As outlined in Section 1.2, boys are prioritised over girls in accessing education and girls' access to education is limited by other factors, including experiences of gender-based violence that discourage attendance, even at primary school (Bisika et al 2009). In the broader context of poverty, girls are easily perceived as a demand on household resources, conveniently transferable through marriage to the responsibility of a husband.…”

Section: Child Protectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Child Protection and Social Inequality: Understanding Child Prostitution in Malawi

Nkhoma

Charnley

2018

Social Sciences

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This article draws on empirical research to develop understandings of child prostitution, previously theorised on the basis of children’s rights, feminist, and structure/agency debates, largely ignoring children’s own understandings of their involvement in prostitution. Conducted in Malawi, which is one of the economically poorest countries in the world, the study goes to the heart of questions of inequality and child protection. Within a participatory research framework, nineteen girls and young women used visual methods to generate images representing their experiences of prostitution. Individual and group discussions were used to illuminate the meanings and significance of their images. With the exception of the youngest, participants understood their initial involvement in prostitution as a means of survival in the face of poverty and/or parental death, or escape from violent relationships, experiences that were subsequently mirrored by exploitation and violence within prostitution. Using the lens of the capability approach, we capture the complexity of child prostitution, demonstrating the ambiguous agency of participants in the face of deeply embedded patriarchal cultural norms that constrained their choices and limited their freedom to pursue valued lives. We end by reflecting critically on the theoretical and methodological contributions of the study, making policy and practice recommendations and identifying opportunities for further research.

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Gender-violence and education in Malawi: a study of violence against girls as an obstruction to universal primary school education

Cited by 34 publications

References 2 publications

Exposure to violence predicts poor educational outcomes in young children in South Africa and Malawi

Exposure to violence predicts poor educational outcomes in young children in South Africa and Malawi

Education sector response to early and unintended pregnancy: A review of country experiences in sub-Saharan Africa

Child Protection and Social Inequality: Understanding Child Prostitution in Malawi

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