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On the occasion of the African Union Anti-Corruption Day, SciDev.Net offers a series of articles on corruption in African education systems. In this second issue, Bilal Taïrou is interested in the sensitive issue of sexual harassment, which manifests itself in the principle of "good marks against sexual favors", the hidden face of a form of corruption prevalent in the higher education institutions of the country. continent …
Although it differs in many respects from corruption itself, sexual harassment, especially in view of its obvious adverse effects (sex-for-note, discounted training, drop-out, etc.). ) is a major mistake in governance.
In a paper, Prisca Rolande Miyouna, Center for Studies and Research on Economic Analysis and Policies (CERAPE) of Brazzaville, writes that "sexual harassment is a crime taking advantage of a hierarchical situation to force sexual favors on someone, the author may be a trainer, employer, an executive, a recruitment consultant, a client of the company but also a colleague of the victim. "
In several African countries, the phenomenon is known as NST (Sexually Transmitted Notes).
" The most frequent consequence of harassment at school is the case of early pregnancy; the corollary is school dropout. "
Penda Diouf – President CLVF Senegal
It seems to have spread in recent years in African academic circles, in both English-speaking and French-speaking Africa.
Penda Diouf, national president of the Committee to Combat Violence against Women (CLVF) in Senegal, confirms in an interview with SciDev.Net, saying that "sexual harassment is a phenomenon that is becoming more and more recurrent in Senegal, and which is growing, especially in the southern region. "
She cites a document published by the CLVF, according to which "in 2010, 24% of girls who were victims of sexual violence were in school"
A report published by the United Nations Fund for Population for its part, it reports on 1971 early pregnancies recorded in schools in Senegal during the three school years 2010-2011, 2012-2013 and 2013-2014, with the Sédhiou region largely in the lead (30% of cases), followed by Ziguinchor (19%), Kolda (9%), Matam (6%) and Thiès (6%).
However, for Penda Diouf, "the authors of pregnancies in schools are most often teachers and to a lesser extent, the comrades of the victims. "
These figures clearly show the magnitude of the phenomenon.
Similarly, for the targets that are pupils and students, especially young girls, even if they estimate for most of whom have never been victims, sexual harassment in schools is "
" Sexual harassment is all too common in schools and universities, and women are not respected, "says SciDev.Net, Astou Diédhiou, a student of Roman languages and civilizations at the university. Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar (UCAD)
Penda Kéita, a student in the final year of a scientific series in Dakar, regrets that the phenomenon is commonplace today.
Si Imane Raji, student in Medicine at UCAD, said she had never been a victim of this type of abuse in Senegal, she says that the phenomenon is very real in Morocco, its country of origin.
"There are many cases where girls claim to have been harassed by their teachers to get good marks," she told SciDev.Net.
By contrast, Marie Siby, technical advisor questions of gender to the Senegalese Ministry of National Education and executive secretary of the coordinating framework for interventions on girls' education, does not share this view.
"In the educational system, with regard to preschool, elementary and middle school, we can say that this phenomenon is fortunately not very developed," she says.
She recognizes While there are certainly questions of violence, but with regard to sexual harassment and blackmail at the time of evaluation, this is not a common phenomenon in Senegal.
However, in the few cases identified the consequences of the phenomenon are many.
Consequences
"The most frequent consequence is the case of early pregnancy," says Penda Diouf.
The corollary, according to the woman, is the stalling of girls
"There are even children in elementary school who have been the victims of early pregnancy by their teachers," she says.
Another, less noticeable consequence, is on the moral plane.
"This is This is a situation that gives girls a constant fear of being assaulted or raped, "says Astou Diédhiou.
Penda Diouf goes further, saying that" in some cases, victims who can no longer bear these harassments decide to change schools or abandon class altogether. "
No excuse is valid
If, for some students, like Astou Diédhiou, the responsibility lies somewhere with the victims themselves, because of their sometimes daring dress, Penda Diouf believes that absolutely nothing can justify sexual harassment in schools.
"No excuse justifies violence based on gender, especially sexual harassment; neither the place, nor the moment, still less the clothing, "she argues.
This last excuse, which she considers moreover the most inadmissible, even leads her to propose, among other solutions, a psychological burden of teachers responsible for sexual harassment, who take the clothing of the victims as an excuse
Awareness and care
"How can we see a girl and only on the basis of her clothing, sexually harass her? Is it surprised
"I think that beyond sanctions, it takes a serious psychological care of these people," she says.
However, the real The challenge is to arrive and prevent the eradication of the phenomenon.
And to do this, the provisions are put in place, ensures Marie Siby.
"There is first of all the regulatory framework that governs relations between teachers and pupils; teachers with a certain ascendency over students are required to protect them, "she argues.
She also pays attention to the strategy put in place by the Ministry, which consists of training and sensitization of teachers and teachers. other actors, including the corps de encadrement and the corps de contrôle, to prevent these issues of violence
In Senegal, Law 99-05 of 29 January 1999, introduced new provisions in the penal code and among the new forms of violence that have been incorporated into this code include incest, sexual harassment and marital rape.
However, according to Diouf, "the real challenge lies in the provisions to identify cases of "
In addition," she says, "we are in a society that practices the culture of non-disclosure and non-testimony, so that most victims are victims of sexual harassment." have some difficulties to denounce, for fear of stigmatization and social sanction ", she regrets.
And when there are complaints of sexual harassment by teachers, the probability that they go to court is weak
"We have, for example, known cases of complaint where, due to lack of evidence from the victim and under family pressure, the case ended with a mediation "
Thus, the sensitization of – potential – victims to identify cases of sexual harassment and especially to denounce them, as well as the sensitization of teachers on their mission and values, remain options on which bets the actors, in order to contain the phenomenon.
Because, "the educational space is not a space that should host this kind of activities", concludes Penda Diouf.
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