UNICEF
July
CASE
By
Macaty
University
-University
1st
STUDY
FALL,
of
of
to
ON
12th,
CORPORAL
Education
PUNISHMENTS
specialist,
Pennsylvania,
Pennsylvania.
2013
Unicef
12July,
OF
Senegal
2012
Senegal is a Sahelian country located in the most western part of Africa
with a national territory of 196,722 km² and is part of the West African
Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU). With a population estimated at
about 13.7 million, in 2012, its economy is dominated by a few strategic
sectors, including groundnuts, fisheries and services. The role of the
agricultural sector, and especially of groundnuts, has declined over time,
as Senegal’s position bordering the Sahel has led to frequent droughts.
High rural poverty and limited access to rural infrastructure and basic
services(Education, Health etc) have fueled migration to urban areas, and
the country’s informal sector accounts for about 60% of its gross domestic
product .Education sector received big investments en terms of finances
and building infrastructures but school environment and quality of
Education
remains
serious
challenges.
MAP OF WEST AFRICA
By Macaty FALL, Education specialist, Unicef Senegal
University of Pennsylvania, 12July, 2012
MAP OF SENEGAL
PLAN OF PRESENTATION
I. Description of challenge
II. Critical Evaluation of the Work done so
far
III. Change in Practices
Some Social indicators
Population growth rate (average annual )
Urban population growth rate (average annual %)
Rural population growth rate (average annual %)
20102015
20102015
20102015
2.6
3.3
2.1
Urban population (%)
2011
42.5
Population aged 0-14 years (%)
2011
43.5
Population aged 60+ years (females and males, % of
total)
2011
4.1/3.7
Sex ratio (males per 100 females)
2011
98.4
Life expectancy at birth (females and males, years)
2010-2015
Infant mortality rate (per 1 000 live births)
2010-2015
49.8
Fertility rate, total (live births per woman)
2010-2015
4.6
Contraceptive prevalence (ages 15-49, %)
2006-2010
Refugees and others of concern to UNHCR
end-2010
Education: Government expenditure (% of GDP)
20052011
Education: Primary-secondary gross enrolment ratio
2005(f/m per 100)
2011
Education: Female third-level students (% of total)
2005-
60.9/58.6
11.8 2005.
22849
5.6
62.2/62.2
37.3
UNESCO
1. Description of the challenge
1.1 Contexte
 a study conducted by UNICEF during 2009 in Regions of Kolda,
Sedhiou and Ziguinchor revealed many instances of violence on
students including corporal punishment, sexual abuse, rape,
pregnancy and early marriages. In each region, we found more than
two hundred of early pregnancy and marriages based on social
practices and behaviors;
 Final annual reports of the Academic regional Inspectors have also
confirmed the same situation in regions of Tambacounda and
Kedougou ;
 Such a situation was the cause of high school dropouts. Several
NGOs and partners tried with enormous resources to combat the
phenomenon without success because violence is exercised both in
families and in schools, even though the law explicitly forbids it.
1.2 Content of the problem
 The findings of the survey are exposed bellow:
Distribution of violence in school according findings of the study
 In order to increase both rates of schooling and achievement in the targeted areas, UNICEF and
Ministry of Education make an agreement to struggle against violence in school and more
specifically address corporal punishment, sexual violence and absenteeism amongst teachers. We
thought it would be better to have strategies that involved community leaders.
.
1.2 Content of the challenge ….
1.2.1 Factors
Several factors contribute to maintain corporal punishment:
- In the Wolof community, the word Education is translated by whip: it provides
some informations on the place of violence in education: a parent told us, "If
we no longer need to hit the children what we do at instead they have to fear
us! . " Recognizing that behavior change is a long process, we believe
parents and teachers to experience the strategy of empowerment of the child
itself on matters of discipline.Corporal punishement must be considered like
social norm.
- Parents may also believe that others will judge them negatively(like
pretentious or lax) if they don’t hit their child or not marry their daughters early
even if they are students.
- In addition these preferences are conditional preferences because they
depend on what other people think if parents don’t hit their child.Teachers hit
child also because it is conform to parents”s practices
- A Social Norm is defined as « a pattern of behaviour such that individuals
prefer to conform to it on condition that they believe (a) that others in their
group conform and (b) that others in their group believe that ought conform. »
1.2 Content of the challenge ….
1.2.2 Impacts
They are Empirical expectations because, in the past,parents and teachers
used to hit child and this practice appears like accepted by the society and if
you don”t beat your child you appear to others as someone who lacks rigor
.By doing that,they develop also normative expectations : that is to say
expectations about what other people think of us.
In fact there is a factual believe consisting to beat the child in order to perform
him by producing fear and better result. In addition, there are also conditional
preferences based on empirical expectations because teachers and parents
believe that other colleagues or neighbours in their relevant network do the
same thing and expect the same thing from them.
.
2. Critical analysis of the work done so far
Eliminating violence against child must be dealt with two main segments or
places of residence of the child on violence simultaneously: Students reported
that some parents continue corporal punishment even if the teacher does not
anymore. In school, students must be also strengthened to say no when
necessary in case of violence and to report it .
2.1 Strategies
It is based on the following steps:
- Participatory diagnosis of the current situation of the rights of children
- Training of trainers on the Right Based Approach
- Training of teachers, parents and students on the rights of children
- Installation and Revitalization of School Management Committee
- Elaboration of school actions plan to fill up gap and solve identified problems
2. Critical analysis of the work done so far…
In these 5 axis, advocacy, Social mobilization , Communication for Behavioral
Changes:they aim to behavioral changes through promotion of new individual
and community practices .
Social mobilisation and partnership with core groups and NGO for behavioural
change and creating new practices
- Under this approach, school governments and school children's parliaments
were created and many responsibilities were assigned to children as may be
agents of change in behavior:in each school a “Committee monitoring and
warning on violence”have been created.
- So children can report all cases of violence by sending sms or by informing
the members of the school governments, which in turn inform the
Management Committee and the Association of Parents of pupils;this
experience consisting to assign responsibilities’ to children .
- This strategy of entrusting children responsibilities had unexpected effects in
other areas because it induced changes in beliefs about the roles of children
2. Critical analysis of the work done…
2.2 analysis of the strategy…
-In an elementary school in Tambacounda, a school principal had
reported in its diagnosis absenteeism of many teachers because most
of them come from big cities and therefore are not used to live in the
rural area. As part of the accountability of students on issues of
disciplines, students have planned a schedule of absences for students
and a notebook for teachers.
-When a teacher or a student is absent, after school, a small delegation
of students goes to the absent for a courtesy visit and see if it is health
that goes wrong. This tool has reduced absenteeism of teachers who
were embarrassed to see students come to visit them after their
absence. This experience has been widely shared with parents to show
them that the "rule" which means that the child is not accountable is not
always good because thanks to an initiative of the students we had a
change of behavior teachers (although this behavior is not a social
norm).This practice is a custom:according to Cristina Bicchieri “It is a
pattern of behavior such that individuals prefer to conform to it because
it meets their needs”.
.
3. Change in Practices
Following the analysis of strategies utilized so far,this strategy
- Provide evidence to communities allows faster changing their beliefs and
behavior of a heavy theoretical argument: the parents and other opinion leaders
were involved in the process to see the added value.
- In this way Parents Association,Mothers’s Association,religious leaders,chiefs of
villages,trade-unions of teachers,children”s associations have organized debates
and talks on the negative and psychological impacts on children's future.Success
stories like examples of students of Tamba were exposed in order to change
beliefs and expectations of adults and core groups.
- Corporal punishement are both social norms and plague very resistant to
changes. Value deliberation on coranic school and corporal punishement a a
serious proressive step
We believe that to develop new social norms in lieu of these norms, it is very
important to show evidences and add value of new social norms.
Corporal punishment is a social norm based on empirical and normative believes,
and norm changing it will require change in empirical and normative expectations.
For change and abandonment of this social norm,it is crucial to focus intervention
on these expectations.
In both cases there is a conflict between legal norms prohibiting these practices and
social norms tolerating that.
However, the ideal situation is one where there is a harmonization of social norms,
legal norms and moral standards.
Unite for smiling Child.
At the Begining
At the End