Marginalisation, as a complex cluster of social conditions brought about by misconceptions regarding people’s differences, and School-Related Gender-Based Violence (SRGBV) are only two of the many hurdles faced by young people with regard to their ability to be fully empowered in educational institutions that feel safe. These obstacles were emphasized a side event organized by the UN Girl Education Initiative (UNGEI) and UNESCO at the Asia and the Pacific Conference on Gender Equality and Women Empowerment, otherwise known as Beijing +20, which was recently held in Bangkok.
With a focus on marginalization and SRGBV, the side event aimed to share findings from the regional UNGEI policy advocacy agenda, to update regional groups on the work of UNGEI through its working groups on the aforementioned topics, and to engage the audience through panelist speakers in a discussion about the barriers that prevent children, most especially girls, from learning in spaces that are free from violence and harm.
Welcomed by Dr. Chemba Raghavan, Regional Focal Point of UNGEI, and moderated by Anna-Karin Jatfors, Regional Programme Manager for Ending Violence against Women (UN Women), the side event was attended by over thirty people of various sectors including government and societies from across Asia - Pacific.
The side event began with a round of questions to the panelists focused on settings where marginalization happens, the barriers toward accessing education among migrant children, and the conflation of child labour and girls’ participation to education. Panelists highlighted how people’s differences - from sexual orientation to gender identity, poverty status, ethnicity and language, and physical condition can affect children’s ability to quality education in a learning environment that is safe.
The second round of the talk show focused on school-related gender-based violence, with another dynamic set of panelists who talked about forms and targets of school-related gender-based violence as well as how to guarantee safety in schools. Alessandra Tranquilli as the panelist from Plan International highlighted new research on SRGBV from 5 countries in the region (Pakistan, Cambodia, Nepal, Indonesia and Vietnam) that included: girls have higher equitable attitude than boys, all forms of SRGBV are highly prevalent across the countries, mostly verbal, physical and sexual forms, and that more than 50% of children in school feel unsafe due to acts of corporal punishment. Other panelists during this round described the efforts of UN agencies to address SRGBV through partners and in policies.
Justine Sass from UNESCO also highlighted the findings of a study in Thailand conducted by Plan International, UNESCO, and Mahidol University which found that 6 out of 10 same-sex attracted transgender youth have been bullied in the past month, and 25% of youth are bullied due to their actual or perceived same-sex attraction or gender identity.
The side session identified marginalization and SRGBV as interconnected entities that challenge access to education for children, particularly girls. Marginalised people may be more vulnerable to SRGBV, and SRGBV can lead to further marginalization.
Looking forward it is clear that there is a lot more work to be done towards the full empowerment of all children in learning environments that are safe. It is clear that these issues will require efforts from a variety of sectors, beyond those of civil society and community-based organisations. “Addressing these issues are not only the responsibility of civil society or community based organizations alone, but paving the way towards empowerment is everybody’s responsibility, and ensuring safe spaces is an initial step towards ending gender-based violence in schools,” said Justine Sass.
Source: EAP UNGEI Newsletter, Newsletter No. 18, December 2014