(The) effects of school-related gender-based violence on students' absenteeism in primary schools in Southern and Eastern Africa

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study examines the relationship between school-related gender-based violence (SRGBV) and students’ absenteeism in primary schools in 14 Southern and Eastern African countries. Gender-based violence (GBV) in school severely jeopardizes the student’s health and reduces educational outcomes. In sub-Saharan Africa, gender-based violence in school is more problematic due to the deeply ingrained gender inequality. To investigate the relationship between SRGBV and absenteeism, this study employs multivariate regression and a large cross-country dataset, the third round of Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (SACMEQ) data.
Results indicate that school-related gender-based violence with teachers as perpetrators increases student absence rates in primary schools, especially for sexual harassment, while there is no correlation between pupils’ violence and students’ absenteeism. GBV adversely affects the whole school environment by inhibiting direct and indirect victims’ learning. Furthermore, GBV is rooted in power relation, which is more powerful for teacher-to-pupil relation than pupil-to-pupil relation, and punishment for the teacher’s perpetration in too light in sub-Saharan Africa. Although this research is not without limitations, it does imply that stronger law enforcement on perpetrators, protection of victims, and enhanced teacher training are needed in order to ensure safe school environments.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• I. Introduction 1
• 1.1 Background 1
• 1.2 Statement of Problem 3
• 1.3 Objective of the Study and Research Question 5
• 1.4 Significance of the Study 6
• II. Theoretical Background 8
• III. Literature Review 10
• 3.1 School-Related Gender-Based Violence and Students Absenteeism in Southern and Eastern Africa 11
• 3.2 School-Related Gender-Based Violence and Students Absenteeism in Other Countries 14
• IV. Methodology 17
• 4.1 Analytical Framework 17
• 4.2 Hypothesis 18
• 4.3 Model 19
• 4.4 Data 20
• V. Results 34
• VI. Discussion and Conclusion 41
• 6.1 Discussion 41
• 6.2 Limitations of the Study 43
• 6.3 Conclusion 44
• Bibliography 46
• Appendix 51