Social media campaign: Taking action against SRGBV in the classroom

Knowing no geographical, economic, cultural, social or ethnic boundaries, school-related gender-based violence appears globally, affecting children and young people in and far beyond the school walls: Next to the immediate health consequences of violence, it leads to anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and negatively impacts learning and long-term educational outcomes. It deprives learners of the safe haven that schools should be for all, especially in contexts of domestic violence and harmful social norms.

At the same time, the school is one of the most powerful and effective places to address and put an end to SRGBV.

VVOB puts equity, and gender equity in particular, at the heart of its activities and addresses gender stereotypes and SRGBV in programmes on early childhood education, primary education, general secondary education and secondary TVET. In close coordination with partner organisations, VVOB holds a rich repository of resources, knowledge, best practices and learnings to raise awareness, prevent, respond to and end gender-based violence in education contexts.

For this year’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, VVOB has teamed up with the Teacher Task Force and the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) to raise awareness and to use the power of social media to make this rich repository of resources more accessible, supporting and empowering educators to end SRGBV.

Taking action against SRGBV starts with raising awareness about it. Educators need to be able to recognise the – often subtle and implicit – harmful norms or habits, be it in using biased language or using learning material that confirms harmful stereotypes. Beyond awareness comes action against SRGBV, which can happen in different ways, requiring varying levels of knowledge and resources.

Through social media, VVOB, the Teacher Task Force and FAWE disseminate accessible, low-barrier material, insights and best practices to empower educators, parents, caregivers and community members to challenge harmful gender norms in the classroom, the school environment and community. The social media content builds on in-depth resources and toolkits that give comprehensive, hands-on knowledge and information on ending school-related gender-based violence. All resources can be accessed and downloaded free of charge.

Marking its 30^th anniversary this year, the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is a call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls. Every year, spanning from the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (25 November) to Human Rights Day (10 December), these 16 days raise awareness and create opportunities for advocacy, discussion and action. 

As the world retreated inside homes during pandemic-related lockdowns, an already existing pandemic of gender-based violence against women and girls worsened. In some countries, calls to helplines reporting incidents of domestic violence have increased five-fold over the past months. In 2021, the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence happen once again in a pandemic context, leaving women and girls more vulnerable to exploitation, abuse, forced marriage and harassment.

More information about global action under the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence can be found here.