Safety issues

Author: Sophie Diouf (Senegal) | Published on 18 April 2025

Question: How can we create safer school environments for girls to thrive academically?

Answer: By understanding the safety challenges girls face and implementing practical, protective measures that ensure they feel secure, respected, and free to focus on their learning.

Here are some of the safety issues our girls experience on a daily basis in school, and solutions and ideas on how to protect them so that they can focus on their education.

The first area I will look at is Physical and Verbal violence. This includes slaps, hits, threats, insults and mockery. We also noticed that girls are subject to humiliation, Intimidation, emotional violence and inappropriate gestures in the schoolyard.

The second area is that of Gender Stereotypes in the classroom. This regularly manifests with boys cleaning the blackboard and girls the classroom, with classroom cleaning seen as a lower-level task.

The third and final area I want to discuss is that of sexual manipulation and violence. This is one of the most pervasive issues in our schools and impacts everyday life for many female students. Some examples are rapes, sexual harassment, and manipulation by both male students and some teachers.

Solutions to safety issues

Now, let’s look at the solutions for the three areas of challenge I have presented to you.

The first solution area I will look at is Physical and Verbal violence.

As a solution, I would propose the following:

to integrate the ministry of family to send agents in schools in order to listen to girls and come up with solutions to their problems.
We should also insist that schoolyard supervisors monitor and break up any violent situation and Install some cameras.
Another solution is to create a gender club for both girls and boys.
Calling parents of violent boys is part of the solution as once they are aware of their sons' behaviour, they can work to address it from home and not rely on teachers to manage their sons' behaviour towards females.
We must at the same time strengthen disciplinary procedures in school, and involve the police when necessary.

The second area is that of gender stereotypes in the classroom.

Part of the solution here is to involve the teacher and encourage them to reflect on their own bias and the language they use. For example, when praising boys and girls do they focus on their academic skills and use the same language or, do they use one set of descriptors for boys (clever, leader, brilliant) and another set for the girls (kind, good, pretty).
giving boys and girls the same roles in the classroom is one of the solutions.
A chore rota is also useful, to encourage a balance of genders for tasks on a rotational basis.

The third and final area I want to discuss solutions for is that of sexual manipulation and violence.

the first solution I propose is creating separate toilets for girls and boys
The government should also implement policies that focus on prevention, intervention (respond to reports of abuse) and support. Integrating teachers, school administration, parents and the community.
The headmaster and the president of the association of parents discuss with the student or teacher perpetrator and demand he stops.
We also need to support female students who have been on the receiving end of such abuse, to counsel them and support them working through the aftermath of these situations. Shame belongs with the male, not the female.
Teachers who manipulate female students by enticing them with promises of higher grades in return for sexual favours should be removed from the school and the police involved as they are a danger to females of a vulnerable age.

We should take these issues seriously to create a safe and respectful environment for all. Which of these proposed solutions will you implement first for your students?