Hurt and abused children in Ethiopia - 2 By Graham Peebles* Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid

them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.1 Cultural calamity Violence towards children is embedded into the social conditioning of Ethiopia, all too often mistakenly termed culture, and excused thereby, In our culture there is a saying that if a female is not circumcised she will break things. So families circumcise their children. 14-year-old girl.2 This is superstitious nonsense and needs to be seen as such. Within the Ethiopian criminal code many harmful traditional practices are dealt with and in some detail, crimes committed against Life, Person and Health through Harmful Traditional Practices.3 This and other articles in the criminal code need to be consistently implemented and education programmes enlightening prejudices, freeing children and indeed parents from such damaging, ignorant practices need to be initiated throughout the country. Culture, that much misinterpreted, overused term of convenience, cited so often in the mistreatment
1 2 3

Matthew 19, verse 14 King James Bible African Child policy Forum. Violence in Their Own Words

Study on violence against schoolchildren. (VASC) Save The Children Denmark & Ethiopian Ministry of Education.

of children, provides no justication for practices that are instrumental in causing deep hardship and suffering, to the most vulnerable in society. Cultural and traditional beliefs deeply rooted in society sanction violence as a way of disciplining children. In addition, there is no tradition or knowledge of alternative ways of disciplining children other than resorting to violent practices. Worse, is the fact that children remain powerless victims, their viewpoints and opinions generally ignored, with no formal or traditional recourse for redress or protection. (Ibid) Ethiopia has a rich and ancient culture; let it not be soiled by the inclusion of abuse, violence and the exploitation of its children. Parents need to be made aware of the effects of repeated verbal and physical abuse and that violence towards the child is a criminal offense. Political will and moral responsibility In accordance with the Governments legal obligations must be expressed in the enforcement of the law by the appropriate authorities. Education, deterrents and platforms of expression plus clear channels of recourse for children, will together help change attitudes, curb destructive behavior and empower the young. School daze There are few corners of childhood in Ethiopia that are safe it seems. In schools, some take advantage of their positions and force students to

engage in sex with them in return for better grades and other favors. Such instances take place in primary and secondary schools. 4 Attending school even becomes a torture then, everyday lled with uncertainty and the fear of physical violence, verbal insults or sexual intimidation. We feel like we are totally at the mercy of our teachers as they beat us for good or bad reasons. 12-year-old girl. (ACPF) More than 90% of students were punished by their teachers, although 70% of teachers were aware of the negative effects of corporal punishment.5 The abuse nevertheless continues, one may rightly then question the degree of their awareness. In a country where literacy rests at 48% school attendance is crucial. Children trapped and violated in school as in home, will naturally seek escape, physical and humiliating punishment in schools is usually implicated with school drop-out. (EPPAC). Education is a road out of poverty and victimization, to freedom and justice. Schools should be exciting centers of self discovery, where the innate potential of all may be sensed, fostered and realized, not hostile environments of fear, repression and control, where prejudices are reinforced and children hurt and humiliated. Schools are expected to provide safe and protective environment{s} for students. In this respect, the FDRE Constitution of 1995 and the
4 5

ECPAT. Status of action against sexual exploitation of children (AASEC)

Ending Physical and Humiliating Punishment against children. (EPPAC) Save the Children Sweden

Federal Ministry of Education guidelines discourage the use of corporal punishment in schools. (VASC) However sexual and physical attacks persist: male teachers used their position of authority to inuence female students into having sexual affairs with t h e m . C o m m o n l y, m a l e s t u d e n t s a n d neighbourhood adolescent boys also perpetrated sexual violence against female students. (SSBB) Home, school, community, microcosms of the society at large, sharing cause and effect, as one section of society impacts and colours the other. Family sits at the very heart of the community. The values promoted and expressed, the nature of relationships within the home and the general attitudes adopted, condition the community at large. Teachers who move into the school from a home where children are violated, physically beaten and sexually mistreated, will inevitably express these attitudes to their students. The same applies to adolescent boys loitering outside schools intimidating and sexually harassing young girls as the walk to and from school. Even though corporal punishment in schools is illegal, Children stated that physical and psychological punishment is very prevalent in schools and that they experience most forms of punishment there. Those who inict such violence are usually schoolteachers, guards, class monitors and older boys. I lost my pencil. When the school director learnt that I was not writing, he beat me

with a plastic hose. My nose was bleeding and I went to the clinic. Sixth grade student (ACPF). Children should be made aware of their Human Rights, and informed that teachers are breaking the law when they are physically and verbally violent towards them. The school and then the criminal prosecution service should discipline those teachers, who revert to verbal and physical abuse, rstly, depending on the severity of the offence. Encouragingly there are various positive signs of change highlighted in the STCD report. There are signicant programme interventions being carried out by governmental and non- governmental organisations (NGOs) to address the problem of physical and humiliating punishment of children. Most of the activities towards ending corporal punishment target schools. (EPPAC) With a view to promoting child participation and to enabling children to protect their own rights, some NGOs are engaged in establishing and supporting various kinds of clubs in schools. (EPPAC) This is all to be welcomed and should be seen as steps in the right direction. At the heart of any change in schools though must be the children and the teaching staff. Training programmes need to be delivered to change teaching methods and broaden teachers understanding of the impact, immediate and long term, of abuse and violence. In (VAGS) various recommendations are made, key amongst these are, Train all teachers in non-violent

methods of disciplining students. Components, which make teachers and children aware of the Human Rights of the Child, need to be developed, and Establish at a school level a mechanism for reporting violence and abuse and providing appropriate counseling and support for victims of violence and abuse. Let us add to this the recurring theme of inclusion. Systems of complaint and structures that encourage participation by children in the running of schools, e.g. class representatives, regular meetings with teachers and administrators, encouraging input into decisions affecting the life of the school. These and other methods based on participation, will breach divisions and contribute to creating vibrant inclusive education environments, based on respect for all, tolerance and understanding. Community complicity Society or community is not an abstract entity existing separately from the individuals in society. The individual is the society. We nd the same archaic destructive attitudes to child-care and parenting seen in families being demonstrated within the community, distorting the behavior of adults and older children alike. Gender imbalances animating negative sociological stereotypes, of male superiority and female subservience underlie community sexual violence and intimidation

experienced by many young girls. Children are treated as objects within the family and the community, all too often mens attitudes, old and young towards girls in particular, reect this, I remember a girl who was being harassed by a man who said he wanted to marry her. She refused. One day he forcefully took her to his home and raped her. (ACPF)) The types of physical violence experienced within the community, mirror those the child is confronted with at home. Slapping at 54% is the most common, with being hit on the head coming in a close second. More subtle perhaps is the ridicule and fear engendering psychological abuse, almost 50% suffering such attacks. In addition to these physical atrocities, child abduction, seduction, sexual harassment and rape all occur within the childs community. The law is clear, Ethiopia has signed all manner of international relevant treatise and drafted into the Federal code all agreements, so what is the approach of the police within the community, the rst point of contact with the judicial system? I was beaten by the police for begging. 13-year-old street boy I was beaten by the police for sleeping on the sidewalks. 14-year-old street boy (ACPF) Children, the innocent victims in the home, and school, are at even greater risk within the community. Those whose duty it is to protect and nurture the child, the very source of so much suffering and fear. Children

[in the survey] stated that all types of sexual violence including rape, abduction, early marriage, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), and sexual harassment are prevalent in their communities. Most of these humiliating and damaging acts are committed by male vagrants, older boys, teachers, traditional doctors and parents. (ACPF) It truly beggars belief, in a country where Christs teachings of love and forgiveness as embodied in Orthodox Christianity dominate so many lives, and devout dedication to the church is on a level bordering the fanatical, that the most innocent and vulnerable are used, abused and violated in their homes, their schools and the streets in which they live and play. -E: graham@thecreatetrust.org *Graham is Director of The Create Trust a UK registered charity. www.thecreatetrust.org Supporting fundamental social change and the human rights of individuals in acute need.