Behavior Profile: Teachers Protect Learners
Democracy and Governance Goal: Reduce school-related gender-based violence
Teachers protect learners from GBV and related actions without recrimination, discrimination, or apprehension
% of learners at each school who believe telling teachers about incidents of sexual violence or harassment makes the situation better

Behavior Analysis

Strategy

BEHAVIOR AND STEPS

What steps are needed to practice this behavior?

Teachers protect learners from SRGBV and related actions without recrimination, discrimination or apprehension

  1. Seek and use input from peers and learners about what will make them feel protected
  2. Adhere to national SRGBV-related laws, policies and School Safety Framework
  3. Adhere to school codes of conduct
  4. Safely intervene as necessitated by laws, policies and school codes of conduct
  5. Respond immediately, as necessitated by laws, policies and school procedures
  6. Document all complaints of SRGBV
  7. Link learners, teachers and other staff with the support services they need
  8. Follow up to ensure effective uptake of services and wellbeing of survivors and reporters

FACTORS

What factors may prevent or support practice of this behavior?
Structural
Accessibility: Teachers cannot protect learners from SRGBV because learners don’t report SRGBV to them due to fear, stigma, lack of reporting mechanism, mistrust of reporting mechanism, etc.
Accessibility: Teachers cannot protect learners because some acts of SRGBV are hidden from the teachers’ view and supervision, e.g., in toilet, playground, corridor, overcrowded classroom, etc.
Service Provider Competencies: Teachers cannot protect learners from SRGBV because a lack of enforcement of school codes of conduct has led to a culture of silence amongst the learners, teachers and principals
Service Experience: Teachers cannot protect learners from SRGBV because some schools do not have or implement school codes of conduct that are aligned to formal policies or mechanisms for reporting, addressing, and protecting learners from SRGBV
Internal
Attitudes and Beliefs: Teachers do not protect learners from SRGBV because they feel entitled to use their dominant social status and power to bully and gain sexual favors
Attitudes and Beliefs: Teachers do not protect learners from SRGBV because they see certain types of aggression (e.g., bullying) and certain forms of sexual harassment as "normal" and not worthy of intervention
Knowledge: Teachers do not protect learners from SRGBV because they are unclear about what constitutes sexual harassment and how to handle it
Skills: Teachers do not protect learners from SRGBV because they are ill-prepared to deal with bullying, cyber-bullying, homophobia and other problems learners experience

SUPPORTING ACTORS AND ACTIONS

Who must support the practice of this behavior, and what actions must they take?
Institutional
District Education Department: Ensure compliance with SRGBV-related policies.
District Education Department: Assist school governing bodies to review school codes of conduct to ensure they are aligned with relevant policies
District Education Department: Strengthen implementation of policies concerning corporal punishment and outline alternative disciplinary mechanisms that are in line with the bill of rights.
District Education Department: Train school management on how to adopt, develop, and implement school policies and reporting mechanisms that are aligned with the constitution and national policies
District Psychosocial Support Services: Promote reporting of SRGBV by teaching educators and learners about its value and reporting mechanisms, receiving reports, respond appropriately with psychosocial support for educators and learners, and referring cases for further investigation and intervention as appropriate
Police Services: Investigate teachers suspected of sexual harassment or obtaining sexual favors from pupils and any other SRGBV matters reported by learners or educators.
Department of Basic Education (DBE): Establish adequate supervision strategies to minimise acts of SRGBV on the school premises
Continuing Education Division: Partner with CBOs and NGOs to conduct ongoing refreshers for educators on diversity, human rights, mediation, classroom management, etc
Human Rights and Gender Equality Commission: Provide educational material that will educate both teachers and learners about the reporting mechanisms and avenues available to them.
Department of Basic Education (DBE): Develop a cyber-bullying/cyber-safety policy for all schools to adapt, adopt, and circulate
Dept. of Social Development: Provide training for teachers to equip them to deal with SRGBV
Community
Religious and Traditional Leaders: Have regular engagements with the school community to address SRGBV and other problems learners experience.
Community-Based Organizations (CBOs): Train school management on how to adopt, develop, and implement school policies and reporting mechanisms that are aligned with the constitution and national policies
Community-Based Organizations (CBOs): Ensure compliance with SRGBV-related policies.

POSSIBLE PROGRAM STRATEGIES

What strategies will best focus our efforts based on this analysis?

Strategy requires Communication Support

Enabling Environment
Partnerships and Networks: Link and assist the Continuing Education Division, CBOs and NGOs to organize and conduct ongoing refreshers for educators on diversity, human rights, mediation, classroom management, etc.
Partnerships and Networks: Assist Education Department and CBOs to facilitate school-level workshops to develop or update of codes of conduct and reporting mechanisms to address and protect learners from SRGBV.
Partnerships and Networks: Link school communities with government entities to facilitate dialogue, trust, and access to available services
Partnerships and Networks: Collaborate with Education Department and social services to provide training for teachers on how to deal with SRGBV and to ensure referral systems are in place and known to the entire school community
Partnerships and Networks: Educate and raise awareness on cyber bullying as a form of SRGBV (including referral - what, how, where)
Partnerships and Networks: Organize school dialogues with teachers and other stakeholders to raise awareness and build capacity on SRGBV, how to deal with such issues effectively, and ways they can help and encourage learners to report, respond and address, including all the different types of entities they can report to
Partnerships and Networks: Work with the Human Rights and Gender Equity Commissions to provide materials, participatory training, and tools for teachers to use in workshops, etc. in order to educate them about SRGBV and to inculcate a culture of professionalism and good practices among teachers.
Demand and Use
Advocacy: Encourage the Education Department to establish adequate supervision strategies to minimize acts of SRGBV in schools
Communication: Host community activities that promote human rights and replace harmful religious and traditional practices with positive social norms and practices.
Communication: Use local media to air interviews with Education Department, school managers, and teachers to raise awareness about what constitutes SRGBV, negative norms that perpetuate SRGBV, and positive norms to replace them