Gender and Development

in Education

Preventing Gender-Based Violence

Nerissa L. Losaria, DEM

At the end of the 2-hour session, the
participants will be able to:
 Explain human sexuality in relation to
gender based violence.
 Differentiate sex and gender
 Define gender-based violence (GBV)
 Explain implicit and explicit factors in
schools leading to gender-based violence
 The Circles of Sexuality
Sensuality involves our level of
awareness, acceptance and enjoyment
of our own or others’ bodies

Body Image/
Sexualisation is the Human Sexual Intimacy is the ability & need
use of sexuality to Response to experience emotional
influence, control or Cycle/ Skin/ closeness to another person
manipulate others Media & have it returned.
Hunger/
messages/ Fantasy Caring, sharing,
images/ loving, risk
seduction/ taking,
withholding sex, vulnerability
rape, incest Sexual Identity is the
Sexual Health & development of a sense of
Sexual Biological who one is sexually,
Reproduction attitudes &
behaviour, gender, gender including a sense of
behaviours towards our
reproductive identity and maleness and femaleness
health & the consequences
of sexual activity system, role, sexual
contraception, orientation
STDs
Women give birth to babies, men do not.

Women can breast feed babies, men cannot.

Little girls are gentle, boys are tough.

In schools, boys are appointed presidents, girls are secretaries

Boys are sargeant-at- arms, girls are muses.

Girls have long hair and men have short hair.

Girls have monthly menstruation

Girls perform better in home economics while

boys in technology and practical arts

Body hair is OK for men, but women have to

remove it

Male voice break at puberty

GENDER is very much related to SEX
and many people are often confused
about the distinction between sex and
gender.

What’s the difference?

Difference Between Sex and Gender
SEX GENDER
is the biological is socially
attributes of a determined and
person. It is culturally defined. It
universal and can changes across time,
not be changed. age and culture.
It is a learned
behavior.
 "any act of gender-based violence that
results in, or is likely to result in, physical,
sexual or mental harm or suffering to women,
including threats of such acts, coercion or
arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether
occurring in public or in private life."

Declaration on the Elimination of

Violence Against Women.New
York, United Nations, 23 February
1994. Resolution No.
A/Res/48/104
 encompasses, "physical, sexual and
psychological violence occurring in the
family and in the general community

Declaration on the Elimination of

Violence Against Women
◦ physical assault
◦ homicide
◦ sexual assault/abuse
◦ rape
◦ hate crimes
◦ sexual coercion
◦ stalking
◦ forced prostitution/trafficking
◦ genital mutilation
◦ sexual harassment
◦ incest
◦ verbal abuse
◦ economic threats
◦ forced into illegal criminal activities
◦ pornography, internet abuse
◦ date rape
◦ reproductive rights violations
◦ Abuse of women with physical and mental disabilities
◦ Sexual discrimination
◦ Culture bound-practices harmful to women
◦ Ritual abuse within religious cults
 In every country, results indicate that between 10% and 50%
of women report they have been physically abused by an
intimate partner in their lifetime.

 Population-based studies report that 12 and 25% of women

have experienced attempted or completed forced sex by an
intimate partner or ex-partner at some time in their lives.

 Interpersonal violence was the tenth leading cause of death

for women 15-44 years of age in 1998.

 Forced prostitution, trafficking for sex and sex tourism

appear to be growing.

WHO. Fact Sheet No. 239,June

2000
 Nearly half the women who die due to
homicide are killed by their current or
former husband or boyfriend, accounting
for 7% of all deaths among women aged
15-44 worldwide.

 47% of women report that their first sexual

intercourse was forced.

World Report on Violence and

Health, WHo. 2002
 Rape and attempted rape and acts of
lasciviousness (12% increase)

 Physical injuries is highest (14% increase),

 Largest group of VAW victims is composed of

women between 18-25 years

 Almost 2/3 occurred inside the house and

were inflicted by their husbands

WCC. Feminist Action Research on

the Impact of VAW on Women's
Health. (A UNFPA-funded research,
1995-1998)
 7 out of 10 victims/survivors of rape were
raped by men known to them
 6 out of 10 were victims of pre-marital rape
by their present husbands/live-in partners
and this forced them into early marriages
with abusers
 3 out of 10 were later forced into
prostitution/sexual slavery
 8 out of 10 rape survivors reported
reproductive tract infections
 8 out of 10 have sleeping disorders
(insomnia, nightmares and oversleeping)
WCC. Feminist Action Research on
the Impact of VAW on
Women'sHealth. (A UNFPA Funded
Research, 1995-1998)
 5 out of 10 (50%) were abused when they were 10
years old and below
 3 out of 10 are victims/survivors of multiple incest
 2 out of 10 reported temporary loss of sanity
 Almost all (97%) of the incest survivors reported
shame, guilt and loss of self-esteem
 7 out of 10 survivors blamed themselves for the
abuse
 6 out of 10 incest survivors reported that their
mothers are also physically and psychologically
abused
 1 out of 3 were abused by their own biological
fathers
 1 out of 10 was abused by her stepfather
 2 out of 10 incest and rape survivors had unwanted
pregnancies
“Rape is not a big deal; it is only sex.”

Fact: Rape is a big deal. It is a crime of

dominance and control using sex to
express power and anger.
“Rape only happens to teenagers or young
women.”

Fact: Rapists attack infants, senior citizens

and teens. They attack women, men, girls
and boys.
“Rape only happens if you ask for it. Women
who are provocative are the only victims of
rape.”
Fact: Women’s behavior is irrelevant. To act
provocative or to wear sexy clothing does
not mean you are asking to be raped.
“Some women dream or fantasize about being
raped.”

Fact: Rape occurs when an attacker takes

control of a woman in reality.
 “A woman cannot be raped if she keeps her
legs crossed or keeps moving. No man alone
can rape a woman.”
Fact: One man alone can rape a woman and it
is a common occurrence.
“Rapists are mostly psychotic men. You can
identify a rapist by the way he looks.”

Fact: Most rapists are men with no obvious

signs of mental illness. In study after study,
researchers are unable to find any
significant psychological difference between
men who rape and men who do not rape.
“Men rape because they need sex.”

Fact: Men do not rape because they need a

sexual partner. Men rape in order to
humiliate and dominate a woman. In fact,
most men who rape are either married or
have regular sexual partners.
“Most rapes are spontaneous. A man sees a
woman and has to have her.”
Fact: Most rapes are planned. A man may
watch a particular woman for a while and try
to learn her daily routine.
“It is impossible for a man to rape his wife.”

Fact: A husband can rape his wife and a

boyfriend can rape is girlfriend.
“Rape only happens if you are out on the street
late at night.”

Fact: Rapes occurs at all times of the day and

majority cases of rape/sexual assault
incidents occurred in the survivor’s home or
at the home of a friend, relative or neighbor.
 There are patterns of sexual abuse and/or
harassment of girls by both male students
and teachers.

 School children engaged in

commercialization/exploitation
 Teacher tolerance of male students’ domination of classroom
space at the expense of girls’ participation in lessons;

 The celebration of masculine competitiveness; the allocation

higher status tasks and responsibilities to male students and
teachers, and domestic-related ones to female students and
teachers

 the acceptance of bullying and verbal abuse as a natural part

of growing up

 Teachers’ unofficial use of free student labour, especially that

of girls
◦ Gender fair language

◦ School Facilities
- common toilets/lactines and
locker rooms
◦ Textbooks and reference materials highlight male
heroes and personalities and gender
stereotyping

◦ Participation
-leadership roles (PTCAs, Teacher Association,
School Councils)
-in school and educational projects
 Teaching-Learning Process
◦ Socialization process (classroom groupings,
seating arrangements, assigning of roles,
participation in school activities)
These taken-for-granted routine practices in
school all too often teach children that
masculinity is associated with aggression,
while femininity requires obedience,
acquiescence and making oneself attractive
to boys
 The structures and practices that fill the
school day with explicit and implicit rules and
norms serve to guide and regulate behaviour;

 in so doing, they reinforce the unequal

gender relations already reproduced in the
home and perpetuate
notions of male superiority and dominance
(Dunne et al., 2006).
 Recognize the problem is rooted in cultural
attitudes and social structures that prioritize
men’s needs over those of women

 Recognize the link between violence

prevention and increasing gender equity

 Teach young people to engage in respectful

and emotionally healthy relationships
 Empower young people with useful
knowledge, skills and understanding and
promoting positive, non-violent relationships
based on equality and respect

 Create an atmosphere where violence (such

as bullying) and the use of aggression to
resolve conflicts is not tolerated
• Help young people critically examine
gender roles away from strict dichotomies
of masculine and feminine towards more
inclusive definitions of human potential
and diversity

• Create atmosphere of moral tolerance and

respect for difference
 Give out specific information on
◦ Prevalence and incidence
◦ different forms of VAW
◦ Misconceptions and myths about rape, incest,
sexual harassment and violence
◦ Resources available to those who have been
victimized
◦ Law, rules, regulations and procedures
Promote gender-sensitive learning (classroom
structure, groupings, learning processes, gender
fair language and examples)
Provide strong support services to ALL teachers and
students
Generate correct sex-disaggregated data
Provide school facilities – esp. toilets, locker rooms
Ensure fair resource allocation for all
Intensify guidance and counseling programs
Protect our students from all forms of abuse
- proactive stand
- response alertness

Promote personal protection, hygiene and good grooming

 Application:

◦ List GBV you must have observed in schools and

identify measures/interventions on how your school
can prevent or minimize gender-based violence

GBV Who are Preventive

Incidents Involved Measures

Read Sonia’s Story

 SONIA’S STORY
Instructions:
1. Rate the characters 1 to 5, such that #1 is the most
offensive and #5 is the least offensive. You have 5
minutes to write down your answers silently. (Characters:
Sonia, Greg, Jose, Bong, Lito)

2. Discuss with the group your answers for 20 minutes.

3. Assign a reporter in your group to write your ratings on

the board. 2 minutes given to discuss the group’s rating
of the characters.
 SONIA’S STORY
Once upon a time, there was a girl named Sonia who was
in love with a man named Greg. Greg lived on the other
side of the river where Sonia lived. The river that separated
the two lovers was teeming with man-eating crocodiles.
Sonia wanted to cross the river to be with Greg.
Unfortunately, the bridge had been washed out. So she
went to ask Jose, a boatman, to take her across. But the
look in his eyes frightened Sonia, so she went to her friend
Bong and explained her plight to him. Bong did not want
to be involved at all in the situation. Sonia felt that her only
alternative was to take the boat, even though she did not
trust Jose.
 SONIA’S STORY

When the boat was already in the middle of the river, Jose
told Sonia that he couldn’t control himself and he wanted to
make love to her. When Sonia refused, he threatened to
throw her overboard. But if she complied, he said he would
deliver her safely to the other side. Sonia did not want to be
eaten alive by the crocodiles, but she didn’t see any
alternative for herself, so she did not resist Jose. Jose
gratified his desire for Sonia, then delivered her to the other
shore where Greg lived.
 SONIA’S STORY

When Sonia told Greg what had happened, he blamed her

because of the way she dressed. He saw her as unclean and
cast her aside with disdain. Heartsick and dejected, Sonia
turned to Lito, a karate black-belter. Lito felt anger for
Greg and compassion for Sonia. He sought out Greg and
beat him brutally. Sonia was overjoyed at the sight of Greg
getting his due. As the sun sets on the horizon, we hear
Sonia laughing at Greg.
 SONIA’S STORY

Each of the characters in the story represents a

member of society:
1. Jose
2. Greg
3. Bong
4. Lito
5. Sonia

WHO ARE WE IN THE STORY?