Efficacy of civil society organizations to mitigate gender-based sexual violence in schools, in Liberia

• In Event: Parental engagement

Proposal

Civil society can serve as vital mechanisms of monitoring and accountability in partnership with non-profit organizations and government agencies, in the global South. This research evaluates the impact of a 2018-20 project empowering Liberian civil society organizations (CSOs) to supplement health initiatives to mitigate gender-based sexual violence in schools. While some scholars may question the capacity of CSOs in the global South to manage interdisciplinary health interventions, provided adequate training and support, third sector actors can serve as an added mechanism of advocacy, monitoring, and accountability, particularly in resource-poor environments. This paper presents a statistical analysis of survey data collected at baseline and endline of 30 trained CSOs trained to monitor and to prevent sexual violence in 88 schools in randomly-selected communities in 15 districts. Representatives of selected CSOs in project sites receive ongoing training and mentoring by non-profit social workers to conduct evidence-based research to 1) monitor local schools for gender-based inequity and sexual violence of students and 2) support immediate improvements within learning environments. Results indicate that CSO intervention offers significant, efficient, and rapid change, particularly in harmful learning environments. This article presents the results of a statistical analysis of survey data from 15 randomly-selected sites in each district of Montserrado, the largest county in Liberia. 30 CSOs (2 in each site) are selected to support ongoing gender-responsive intervention in 88 local schools (27 primary and 61 secondary). Using a modified UNICEF- Child-Friendly Schools (CFS) Scale, the enumerators survey randomly-selected parents and older students (18 years and older) to capture their perceptions of gender discrimination and GBSV in their local schools. According to 264 randomly-surveyed students, this project significantly altered their perceptions of their school’s safety levels across all CFS indicators (|t|≥1.96). Schools significantly ranked as safer and more gender-friendly, with an average increase in aggregate child-friendliness of 13.1% by endline (t=13.99). Parents reported a change in aggregate child-friendliness of 9.6% in their local school (t=12.09).In resource-poor environments where health systems and public services are overtaxed, a critical solution can be partnering with civil society organizations to supplement program, advocacy, and monitoring needs. Civil society capacity can be highly-efficient and effective when provided necessary training and support to conduct evidence-based monitoring and evaluations, and advocacy on critical issues around child sexual abuse. The UNICEF-CFS model offers a robust, flexible toolkit for CSOs to use. This approach is holistic, urging the need for schools to target a variety of educational variables, from infrastructure to student-teacher relationships, to ensure safe and supportive learning environments for all children. While CSOs can supplement advocacy and monitoring efforts, their roles are often limited to reporting suspected abuse to the proper authorities trained to conduct legal investigations. At a time when more girls are entering school each year, it is crucial to ensure they receive safe, gender-responsive learning opportunities, so they may thrive.

Author

• Jessi Hanson-DeFusco, PhD, University of Texas at Dallas