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A training method to prepare students and teachers for responding to school-related gender-based violence in Nigeria

Completed project
  • Nigeria
  • Education
  • Sep 2024 to Mar 2026

The Nigerian NGO, Youthcare Development and Empowerment Initiative (YcDEI) is aiming to train young students and teachers in responding to school-related gender-based violence using specially-designed training manuals. With funding from FID, the organization is trialling this pilot scheme which involves a small-scale, randomized assessment in 45 schools in Oyo State, Nigeria, to evaluate the impact on students and teachers.

Project ported by:

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Context

Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is a pervasive human rights violation that disproportionately affects women and girls. It manifests in various forms, including physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, with severe consequences for victims' mental health, physical well-being, and socio-economic prospects. GBV is often rooted in deeply entrenched cultural norms, gender inequalities, and systemic power imbalances, making it one of the most challenging global issues to address (Ekine 2020).

Studies have shown that, each year, 246 million children and adolescents experience school-related gender-based violence, which includes “physical violence, verbal or sexual harassment, non-consensual touching, sexual coercion and assault, and rape,” (UNESCO, 2016). Furthermore, it can lead to increased absenteeism rates among young victims (Lee and Rudolf, 2022), poorer academic performance (Kibriya et al., 2016; Fry et al.,2018) and higher school dropout rates (Fry et al., 2018; Ellery et al., 2010).

In Nigeria, the law is gradually being adapted to tackle sexual violence. In 2015, legislation was introduced prohibiting violence against individuals, which recognized gender-based violence as a form of discrimination and established a sex offender registry. However, despite this progress, not all school authorities in Nigeria are equipped to identify and manage cases of gender-based violence (Ekine, 2020).

Although School-related gender-based violence (SRGBV) affects vast numbers of pupils worldwide, little is known about the scope of the problem, let alone how to effectively address it.

In 2020, project researchers conducted field work in 30 schools in six states across Nigeria. The results revealed that 47.1% of the children surveyed had already been victims of school-related gender-based violence (Ekine, 2020).

Subsequently, in 2021, the NGO Youthcare decided to tackle this problem and launched a training program in elementary schools.

Innovation

Youthcare Development and Empowerment Initiative (YcDEI) implemented the "Ending School-Related Gender-Based Violence: A Two-Pronged Approach" project. This two-tier program focuses on training both pupils and teachers to recognize, prevent and report GBV while equipping teachers with the necessary skills to respond supportively.

The core innovation is that the approach recognizes that effective prevention and response to SRGBV must address both children’s ability to report violence and the school system’s capacity to respond appropriately. The pilot focused on how to strengthen, scale and evaluate a school-based two-pronged approach to addressing SRGBV. The program was piloted in 45 primary schools across 5 local government areas within the Ibadan Metropolis of Oyo State, Nigeria through a randomized assessment framework.

Research design

The research combined a randomized design with a mixed-methods data collection approach to facilitate a comprehensive understanding of the intervention. The 45 schools chosen from the set of all schools in Ibadan were divided into three groups:

  • one treatment group (20 schools with pupil and teacher training),
  • one control group (15 schools) that did not receive training, but where both baseline and endline surveys were conducted;
  • one pure control group (10 schools), without baseline survey, surveyed only at endline.

In order to study if intensive baseline questionnaires could affect attitudes for teachers, and knowledge of SRGBV and reporting rates for pupils, likely due to the novelty and sensitivity of openly discussing SRGBV, the project also included a pure control group in which no baseline survey was conducted.

Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected through one-to-one interviews, records and observations. Furthermore, the data collection strategy adapted to the sensitive nature of SRGBV throughout three different innovative methods (transparent box exercises, locked boxes and reporting registers).

Results and lessons learned

Operational achievements

Through a one-day participatory and child-friendly training located within their schools, 854 pupils were supported to understand what constitutes inappropriate behavior, their right to safety, and the importance of speaking up. 136 teachers received a structured and centralized two-day training to strengthen their understanding of SRGBV, challenge harmful norms and disciplinary practices, and develop survivor-centered response skills.

Main results of the study

The randomized comparison between the 20 treatment schools and the 10 pure control schools, though underpowered due to the pilot nature of this phase, suggests the following promising results of the intervention:

  • The two-pronged training leads to a reporting shift: pupils become less likely to talk to other pupils about SRGBV, but more likely to talk to teachers about SRGVB. These effects seem to be consistent with the intervention encouraging pupils to change how they behave if SRGBV does occur, with a shift from reporting to other pupils to reporting to teachers.
  • The results also suggest evidence of potential modest increased school attendance by pupils. Relative to pupils in pure control schools, pupils in treatment schools attended school slightly more often and have more positive attitudes about school.
  • Teachers shift away from believing in less-effective methods to prevent SRGBV, and towards the sort of reporting encouraged by the training: For instance, teachers would be less likely to report that they’d pray for protection, and more likely to prefer methods like a complaint committee, training students to prevent SRGBV, or hiring additional school personnel.

Overall, the pilot project has allowed to test the intervention, but also to experiment a first randomization strategy and data collection approaches, showing the importance for the project team of careful design in evaluating such an innovation for the future.

In terms of next steps, the team project plans to publish a policy brief which will serve as a key tool for the statewide dissemination and will convene a dissemination meeting with state policymakers to present the project outcomes, showcase the animated skit produced and engage policymakers on pathways for scale-up and institutionalization.

The project team assess that, with some methodological refinements, on the basis of the pilot, a full RCT is both warranted and feasible and will allow to consolidate the results.

    Ressources

    • Documentary produced by Youthcare Development Empowerment Initiative

    Research team

    • Prof. Adefunke Ekine is a Professor of Childhood Education, the current Head of Department and the Deputy Director of Research and Innovations at Tai Solarin Federal University of Education, Ijagun, Nigeria. Her research interests cover learning outcomes in girls' education, STEAM, and teacher capacity building.
    • Dr. Isabelle Cohen is an Assistant Professor at the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance at the University of Washington, specializing in development and public economics. Her research focuses on institutional capacity constraints in developing countries using large-scale randomized control trials in Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Uganda.
    • Dr. Grace Abban (Ghana) and Dr. Oyeteju Odufuwa (Nigeria) are also members of the research team on the project.
    • Toyin Adebayo is Program Officer for Youthcare Development and Empowerment Initiative.
    Youthcare Development and Empowerment Initiative

    Youthcare Development and Empowerment Initiative

    Youthcare Development and Empowerment Initiative (YcDEI) is a Nigerian NGO run by women, with the aim of promoting gender equality through systemic change and community engagement. YcDEI is primarily focused on improving academic performance among vulnerable people, particularly young girls, and it has been working to promote safe learning environments in schools for children and young people for the last eight years.

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