Prevent sexual violence against children in schools

What you need to know:

Abuse can take many forms, ranging from unwanted touching, sexual jokes, lewd comments, kissing without consent, and demands for sexual favours in exchange for material things, marks or school fees.

The Uganda Police Annual Crime Report 2024 revealed 12,312 defilement cases, a 3.4 percent decrease from 12,771 in 2023. While this decrease is encouraging, the high number of cases remains alarming, especially since many go unreported.

The 2021 National Survey on violence in Uganda indicated that one in three women aged 15 to 49 has experienced physical or sexual violence.
The World Health Organisation defines child sexual abuse as involving a child in sexual activity that he or she does not fully comprehend, is unable to give informed consent to, or that violates laws or social taboos of society. Child sexual abuse is evidenced by this activity between a child and an adult or another child who by age or development, is in a relationship of responsibility, trust or power, the activity being intended to gratify or satisfy the needs of the other person.
In Uganda, the legal age of consent is 18. However, even with consent, sexual relationships between teachers and students are considered sexual violence. Teachers and school administrators hold power that should not be misused to manipulate students for their gratification. Child sexual abuse in schools is perpetrated by both male and female adults, as well as peers. Evidence shows that girls are more vulnerable than boys, with one out of five girls and one out of seven boys affected (Unicef 2024).
Abuse can take many forms, ranging from unwanted touching, sexual jokes, lewd comments, kissing without consent, and demands for sexual favours in exchange for material things, marks or school fees. It can also include actual or attempted vaginal or anal intercourse, defilement, rape, child pornography, and other offences against the child's dignity.
Sexual violence against children has overwhelming consequences. There are instances of sexually transmitted infections, unintended pregnancies, school dropouts, child marriages, and a whole range of negative emotional consequences that result into long-lasting emotional trauma.
The root cause of child sexual violence is the abuse of power by perpetrators. This issue persists due to unequal power dynamics between children and adults, as well as between boys and girls; poverty, societal norms, fear of reporting, stigma, and the risk of being labelled liars.
There are many proven ways to stop sexual violence. Schools are great entry points. Children spend substantial time at school, making it easier to support them in one location. Schools are governable and can enforce policies to protect students.
Raising Voices has been preventing violence against children (VAC) for over 20 years. Key lessons gained during the seven years of working with Raising Voices to prevent violence against children in schools highlight practical steps schools can take to prevent sexual violence against children. These include:
Engage the whole school approach to create a culture of non violence: Addressing sexual violence requires the involvement of all stakeholders, systems, and structures of the school. Stakeholders like parents, students, school staff, and the surrounding community need to be part of the process.
Schools need to declare zero tolerance for violence and reflect on how they use their power to nurture and support students to thrive. This includes fostering positive relationships between teachers, other school staff and students, as well as among peers. All forms of violence—including sexual, physical, and emotional—should be met with appropriate consequences.
School-level policies on sexual abuse: Sexual education should be upheld in schools, and there is need to clearly spell out what entails sexual abuse and corresponding consequences. There are legal frameworks regarding sexual violence. Schools need to work with the students and school community to adapt these to the school level
Nurture students’ agency and voice: Schools need to create schoolwide opportunities for students to participate in decision-making and voice out their concerns. Such opportunities can include suggestion boxes, participation in the formation of school rules, debates, and open conversations.
In conclusion, sexual violence against children happens because an adult or peer abuses their power. We can all choose to use our power to nurture healthy non-violent relationships with children and speak out against sexual violence against children.

Hope Wambi is a Program Coordinator at Raising Voices in Uganda, working to prevent violence against children, and a Public Voices fellow with The OpEd Project