CAFRA TT: We must end gender-based violence through education
The Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action (CAFRA) says schools must become another critical weapon in the fight against gender-based violence (GBV), and the shaping of a more equal and just society.
A release issued by the Trinidad and Tobago chapter of the organization notes that “the scourge of gender-based violence (GBV) continues, seemingly unabated.”
According to CAFRA TT, schools provide tremendous opportunities for shifting the pendulum to greater equality between men/boys and women/girls.
“Schools can challenge GBV, whilst empowering young people to contribute to a more peaceful, just, and equitable society,” CAFRA TT says.
It added: “Solutions at various levels are needed in the society: immediate (police presence, streetlights); medium-term (safe homes, registration of all taxis, digitized number plates); and long-term (education, transforming the culture of violence).”
In December 2021, CAFRA TT hosted a webinar that sought to address the issue of GBV and examined the role of schools in ending it. The webinar highlighted the work of sociologists, educators, students, and community organizations aiming to foster a culture of equality, respect, and non-violence.
“The persistence of GBV raises the questions,” CAFRA TT says. “How long will we as a society continue to witness and tolerate such brutality against women? What kinds of medium- and long-term strategic planning and interventions are needed to create a safe and just society for women and girls?”
Professor Rhoda Reddock, former Deputy Principal of UWI, and Ms. Roberta Clarke, President of the Coalition Against Domestic Violence, argued that schools are critical institutions of socialization. They shape the character of children and provide young people with the skills to negotiate relationships positively.
A 2018 National Women’s Health Survey in T&T estimated that one in every three women in the country has been subject to violence at the hands of their partners. Professor Reddock pointed out further that GBV is normalized through the media and popular culture. Despite this grim scenario, the activists observed that this country possesses a slate of legislation that seeks to prevent GBV, mitigate its impact, as well as bring justice to victims.
Also presenting at the CAFRA TT webinar were: Ms. Hamida Baksh, former Principal of Success Laventille; Ms. Lana Lovell, Social Studies teacher of the QRC project, “She’s Royal”; and Mr. Kieron Castillo, QRC student. In addition, Dr. Mala Ramdass, teacher/educator; and Mr. Haniff Benjamin, trauma specialist and former director of the Children’s Authority, described several mechanisms through which schools can turn the tide on the domestic abuse and murder of women by their partners.
Direct intervention – QRC’s “She’s Royal” project, which forms part of the school’s curriculum, creates a space for young men to share their understanding and feelings about GBV and provides an interactive forum to challenge gender stereotypes and build positive relationships.
Positive engagement with young people – The work of a remarkable educator, Ms. Hamida Baksh was testimony to the power of positive engagement with young people. With the mission to build self-esteem and resilience, Ms. Baksh made Success Laventille Secondary a hive of positive activities – Boxing, Yoga, Pan, athletics, and the Cuba Exchange project, among others. Dr. Ramdass reinforced the idea of “the school as an asset to the community” and described critical aspects of school culture as supporting leadership; building school-home community partnership; promoting physical, emotional, and social safety; and encouraging and valuing students’ voices.
Changing cultures – Mr. Haniff Benjamin drew attention to the negative role of corporal punishment in child-adult relationships. Corporal punishment is a cultural practice that, together with harmful socialization practices that reinforce gender stereotypes, prime young persons to become perpetrators of or vulnerable to GBV.
“CAFRA TT calls for acknowledgment of the tremendous opportunities that schools provide for shifting the pendulum to greater equality between men/boys and women/girls,” CAFRA TT states in the release.
“As the powerful presentations of the webinar revealed, schools can challenge GBV, whilst empowering young people to contribute to a more peaceful, just, and equitable society,” it added.
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