UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

09/26/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 09/26/2024 08:57

Meet Lucy: A Kenyan student championing violence-free campuses with UNESCO and its Safer campuses campaign

Her experience living in a university hostel gave her the drive to speak out against gender-based violence and advocate for comprehensive sexuality education through UNESCO's Safer campuses campaign, part of the Our rights, our lives, our future (O3) programme

In Eastern and Southern Africa, a third of women have experienced gender-based violence by the time they enter tertiary education. This type of violence refers to acts or threats of sexual, physical or psychological violence resulting from gender norms and stereotypes, with serious impacts on education, rights and physical and mental health.

Patriarchal norms and social acceptance of violence are connected to high levels of gender-based violence. In some contexts, the increasing use of alcohol and drugs by youth, particularly in rural areas in the region are also driving higher levels of violence in homes and relationships. Relatedly, violence in digital spaces, in particular against women, is increasing due to internet use and anonymity. This type of violence is often not covered within existing laws and yet is experienced by 38% of women.

Campuses for change

Lucy believes that it's everyone's role to act against gender-based violence and that all students need to understand and inform themselves about it, beyond those who have experienced it or those who are providing support. Higher levels of awareness must be created about gender-based violence, about consent in relationships and the help available for those who have experienced violence. Lucy has concrete ideas which she is turning into action.

Universities can introduce mandatory units for all students to learn how to identify, handle and report cases of gender-based violence. Educating the lecturers, custodians and security guards is also important. Having men, who are often perpetrators, help in advocating against gender-based violence, plays a crucial role in ending it.

Lucy Wambui

As an active advocate, Lucy plans to hold workshops and forums to foster peer-to-peer dialogues and spaces to explore pre-existing harmful beliefs. For example, in Kenya, 2 in 5 young people aged 15-24 think that violence against women is justifiable. She will also be engaging fellow students to create and develop art, installations and events as part of the ChangeMakers competition.

"Encouraging everyone to give their views helps us understand why some people justify gender-based violence, and by doing so, we get to know how to deal with it effectively", says Lucy. "It's important to speak to students in the spaces where they are, this can be through social media where all members of the university are present, sport, theatre and other activities."

Support and reporting structures

Students and staff from the University of Nairobi have continuously taken action to foster a safer learning environment, and as part of the O3 Plus programme, launched the first Gender desk in 2022. This is a safe space where anyone from the University community can walk in and anonymously report cases of gender-based violence, rape and any other form(s) of abuse. They can also receive immediate clinical and expert psychological health care.

"The university could support students who have experienced gender-based violence by helping report cases to the legal care system, so that survivors can get justice", says Lucy. "Sometimes, by seeing perpetrators punished, those who had an ill motive for doing the same would think twice and back off."

The campaign raises awareness and understanding on what constitutes gender-based violence within higher and tertiary education institutions through open-source materials, and supports reporting and safeguarding structures. It is being piloted in Namibia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

UNESCO's Safer campuses campaign

The Safer campuses campaign is part of UNESCO's programme Our Rights, Our Lives, Our Future PLUS (O3 PLUS) which aims to ensure that young people in higher and tertiary education institutions in the Eastern and Southern Africa region realize positive health, education, and gender equality outcomes. It is an extension of the Our Rights, Our Lives, Our Future (O3) programme.