Challenges of Men to Participate in the Reduction of Gender-Based- Violence against School Girls in Addis Ababa: the Case of Gulele Sub-City Preparatory Schools
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Date
2010-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The study is to pave the way for different intervention mechanisms which need the contribution of male
students, male teachers or/and men in general in the reduction of gender-based-violence against school girls.
The study used both quantitative and qualitative methods to obtain data from male student and male teacher
survey respondents, female student focus group discussants and female teacher key informants of the selected
preparatory schools. Moreover, the study obtained data from key informants in Gulele Sub-city Women Affairs
Office and Police Department.
Regarding the participation of men, 175 (97.8%) male students and 38 (97.4%) male teachers and the three key
informants said that men’s participation is important to reduce gender-based-violence against school girls.
However, in all of the focus group discussions among female preparatory students, there were discussants who
said that male students, male teachers or/and men’s participation couldn’t bring change. According to these
discussants, the reason why men’s participation isn’t important is that men don’t understand the pain of the
survivor so that they can’t be participants to reduce GBV against school girls.
It was found out that the way men grew up, the societal attitude on men’s participation, absence of policy
framework about men’s participation, lack of legal protection for those who participate to reduce gender-basedviolence
and fear of fighting with the perpetrator were the main types of challenges that prevent men from
participating in the reduction of GBV against school girls. It was also found out that, awareness creation for the
in-school and out-of-school community members, establishing and strengthening in-school and out-of-school
gender-clubs, formulating policy about men’s participation, strengthening legal protection for those who
participate to reduce GBV were some of the suggested mechanisms the make men participants in the reduction of
GBV against school girls.
In general, dealing with challenges of men to participate in the reduction of gender-based-violence against school girls doesn’t imply men should be the main participants in the reduction campaign but it is to find ways which enable concerned bodies to tackle the challenges that prevent men so as to make them partners in the reduction of gender-based-violence against school girls
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Gender Studies