Address violence against children as schools reopen

Since the closure of schools in March, more than 15 million children have been locked out of school.

Even as candidate classes return to school, most children continue to miss learning opportunities and weather an alarming rise of violence against children (VAC) in their homes and communities. Their current and future well-being depends on having access to a school and learning. 

We know schools foster learning outcomes, teach the life skills necessary to navigate through this ever-changing world and provide safe spaces and relationships that enable a child to find a path towards a fulfilling life. 

Access to a school can imply the difference between mobility and progress or being left behind in the stagnation of poverty, especially for the most marginalised. 

While children and their parents have a profound stake in the decisions we make, very little comes to public discussions on how we should decide if children are safer at home or in school. What will be the consequences of keeping children away from school, and who will disproportionately pay the price?

Research shows that proximity to adults under extreme stress is risky for children. We have seen rising reports of VAC and a surge in calls to the Child Helpline. Police say they registered 21,000 cases of VAC between March and July alone. More than  50 per cent of these happened at home.

Reports from Ngora, Kitgum, Kyegegwa, Lyantonde and Kasese districts indicate 2,300 underage girls were impregnated during lockdown, many of whom were forced into early or unwanted marriages. These figures only account for reported cases of VAC, likely significantly lower than the actual toll. 

Emerging evidence is mixed on whether children are less likely than adults to transmit or be seriously impacted by an infection of Covid-19. Our understanding is further obscured by a lack of widespread and regular testing.

While masks reduce the spread of Covid-19 in adults, getting them to wear and keep masks on can be a challenge as they can be uncomfortable for children and often fit poorly. Spaced desks and regular hand-washing are difficult to enforce in areas with large big number of students and lack of clean running water.

More children will be exposed to violence if they continue to stay at home, but the risks of VAC in schools as students return cannot be ignored. While we ensure adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs) such as hand-washing, mask-wearing and social distancing, we must also institute mechanisms for ensuring safety of children at school.

This include zero-tolerance to corporal punishment, evidence of school-level policies to protect children from sexual and all other forms of violence, and enforcing positive and non-violent ways of disciplining children. 

Adherence to SOPs is a major challenge for students, and more rules and regulations may lead to more ‘friction’ and violent enforcement by teachers. Those that have returned to school have likely experienced trauma from lockdown and VAC at home and we must prepare our teachers to cultivate safe environments upon their return. 

Efforts should also be invested in promoting well-being of children at home. This means ensuring fairness in access to learning materials with deliberate plans to cater for children with special needs and those from the poorest families.

We must hold concerned agencies accountable against the frameworks spelled out to ensure child protection during the Covid-19 period alongside a clear plan to curb violence. A taskforce should be formed to monitor children’s well-being, collect data, and report rates of VAC to Parliament.

Ms Wambi is the head of Advocacy at Raising Voices.