TITLE:
Gender-Based Violence in Mali: A Hidden Disaster in Schools
AUTHORS:
F. Dembélé, Z. Keita, S. Goita, O. Sylla
KEYWORDS:
Violence, Youth, Sex, School Environment, Mali
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.8 No.2,
February
28,
2020
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Violence against girls has always been considered as a factor of
deschooling in French-speaking Sub-Saharan Africa. It is often inadequately
reflected in Education for all policies and programs. The objective is to study
the frequency and characteristics of gender-based violence at the tertiary vocational training institute (IFP-TER) in Kayes/Mali. Methodology: The survey was conducted for four months (September 1 to December 30,
2012). A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the establishment
of IFP-TER Kayes. The study population consists of all the girls in the school.
Extensive sampling was done. Individual interviews were conducted and data
entered on the Epidata 3.1 software and analyzed on SPSS version 16.0. Results: 357 girls were surveyed, of whom 336 experienced at least one form of
violence. Of the girls who were abused, 52.4% experienced sexual violence, 77%
experienced physical violence, and 47.4% experienced emotional abuse. The vast
majority of assaults took place at school (50.9%) and 40% in host families of
students. Of the girls surveyed, 77% said they were victims of physical
violence, jostling; punches and slaps were frequently cited as types of
violence with 69.1%; 40.7% and 36.4%. Girls were victims of sexual violence
52.4% of cases, threats and harassment were the most cited with respectively
75.1% and 74.8%; rape was cited in 41.9% of cases. Blackmail predominated among
victims of psychological violence (81.5%). Conclusion: The proportion of
girls who are abused (94.3%) raises the issue of gender-based violence at the
level of IFP-TER. Faced with this situation; it seems advisable to lead an
effective fight with the involvement of the various actors in the Kayes region.