Sex for grades - Necessity or choice
Sexual exploitation in African schools is becoming a serious issue and needs to be addressed immediately. Such slang’s as ‘sexually transmitted grades’ commonly heard amongst students nowadays, is an indication of the pervasiveness of the despicable activities in most African schools.
For Aminata, it is a choice of cooperating and getting her grades recorded, or failing and dropping out. ‘Looking back at life in the shacks of the ghetto and the struggle that awaits me on the streets of Darker, I can’t help but sacrifice my dignity for that diploma. I wish that wasn’t the situation,’ she explained.
Plan International’s (PI), an organisation with a global campaign to end violence in schools carried out a research titled: ‘Learn without Fear,’ and discovered stories like that of Aminata. ‘We’ve been aware of the problem for a long time but we’ve had to just go on subjective evidence of violence and its effects. But what our latest research has done is to talk to children, to teachers and to parents and so we’re dealing with evidence and not hearsay.’ The PI Regional Director for West and Central Africa, John Chaloner, said.
‘Our teachers should be there to teach us and not to touch us where we don’t want, and threaten us when we refuse to sleep with them’ a 15 year-old girl from Uganda told PI, ‘I feel like disappearing from the world if a person who is supposed to protect me, instead destroys me.’ The young girl added.
The report discloses frighteningly high levels of violence from teachers towards student who aren’t willing to cooperate with their sexual demands. “Many girls and boys are dropping out of school as a result of sexual abuse and corporal punishment.’ In Uganda, it was found that eight percent of 16 and 17 year-olds had had sex with their teachers, in South Africa, at least one-third of all child rapes are by school staff and a survey of ten villages in Benin, showed that 34 per cent of children confirmed sexual violence in their schools.
The report found girls are vulnerable to attacks not only from teachers and other care givers, but also from male students, either at school or on the journey to or from school. PI report claimed that the perverted teachers often justified the sexual exploitation of female students by saying that the girl’s clothes and behaviours were provocative, and that they, the teachers, were far from home and in sexual need.
For some odd reasons, sexual violence is still under-reported. Female students like Aminata need to be able to learn without a price of her dignity and womanhood. The Authorities must be watchful and alert and ensure the safety, protection of the African female student especially from those who are supposed to educate and protect them.
Source : AFRIK.COM
I read the entire article, as I usually do when someone posts on here...just chose to ignore that part since parent who encourage such actions are basically just pimping their own children. Disgusting.
Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked,the good fortune to run into the ones I do,and the eyesight to tell the difference.
LOL... :-D
Keep smiling!
Saggi!
Perhaps you didn't "measure up"..
You should have focused on the male teachers..
Poor me....I am not even good for my grades....
....non of my female teachers wanted to trade grades for sex.....blasphemous me I would have been willing!!!
Thanks for rationalizing the issue..
I agree with you and the article actually says as much..
Gypsy..
In the uk, not too many years ago, it was quite common for boys to be "abused" at boarding schools, both by teachers and senior boys..
There are two professions which call to pedophiles, Teaching and the Clergy, both give you access to young and impressionable children.
I've had teachers (in my wonderful, safe country) suggest sex in exchange for grades, and when I complained to the Administration nothing was done because they had tenure or were to high up the union scale.
The only thing you can do is educate these children that what these teachers are doing is wrong.
I think clearly in this case sex for grades is done out of necessity. The girls know that the only way out of poverty is through education. Sadly, what stands between some of them and a diploma is a filthy pervert masquerading as a teaching professional. Every time I read something like this I realise how lucky I am to have not faced these kinds of attacks.
When I was at the University though it was a whole different story. I was approached by several lecturers who said that that strong B could easily become an A if only... Ofcourse it was easy enough for me to tell them to pi55 off as I was neither poor nor desperate. Sorry to say but a lot of the ladies who were thick as wood (desperate) took advantage of the situation and managed to get their degrees. Obviously in this case they had a choice to either flunk out or get their leg over. And this I believe is done the world over. Morally wrong? Certainly. But isn't it survival of the fittest. I do not condone it and would never put myself in that situation, I'd prefer the peace of mind that came with a D any day, hehe, but education doesn't come cheap and some people just cannot afford to fail.
The only viable approach to addressing this situation is through a culturally sensitive awareness campaign.
------------Virgos dont like chaos, gerrit? ----------
"“Teachers often justified the sexual exploitation of female students by saying that their clothes and behaviour were provocative, and that they, the teachers, were far from home and in sexual need,” according to PI’s report."....some excuse they got huh...
education, justice, law & order, poverty are some of the important factors need to be addressed... how ??? big question
I had hoped that you would read the whole article..
“These children are often encouraged by their parents. Do you think a ten year-old is going to buy herself ‘sexy’ clothes? No, it is the system, it is society that is corrupt. These poor families need [financial] help so they won’t put themselves into this situation”.
I can in no way or form justify a teacher taking advantage of a female student, no matter how she dresses or behaves..
However, I also feel that the parents should be more vigilant and "responsible"..
as far as the bathing nude...in some countries nudity by children are not looked upon as sexual...I know that in many European countries, little girls as old as 8 go topless on the beaches..in America that would be a definite NO NO...because we aren't used to nudity in public. just depends upon what you are exposed to in your own country. BUT, that being said...no adult has the right to abuse children for any reason.
And yes, someonenew...it does happen all over the world, not just Africa. Its just more prevalent in countries like that due to the lack of legal enforcement and education.
Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked,the good fortune to run into the ones I do,and the eyesight to tell the difference.
yeah....the boys in colleges are pretty much protective of their fellow female classmates.the staff wouldn't dare to mess around with a bunch of young-blooded men who're just waiting for a chance to show their chivalry :-P we girls get benefited in the end.LOL!
at the university,the only females who used to get into serious trouble were the ones the guys categorised as being too 'forward' and 'flirty'....the guys never bothered about them.the rest of us were safe 24x7 :-)
Keep smiling!
Saggi!
Agree with u guys just saying that exploitation happens in places other than Africa and even in the so called safe places u guys were talking about. Whether they can be handled or not is not the issue, just that it happens and mostly to the poor coz they're desperately looking for a way out.
I dream of a better tomorrow where Chickens can cross the Road without having their motives questioned - Unknown
Part of it is true...but its not an acceptable justification anywayz
I think these children should be given proper sex education to prevent them from exhibiting their sexuality as a commodity.
I heard in many African Countries even now, Boys of age 10 and 12 (who look more like Adults) take bath nude from in front of public taps in the streets. Such acts will definitely provacative.
As Saggi said such cases can be handled in a mature way with adults...also boys in the colleges are really helpful/wise in handling such cases.
pretty has nothing to do with exploitation...its criminal in all respects...and yes saggi...its horrendeous when its done to school age kids.
Bad thing about parents retailiating is that then THEY end up in jail for protecting their own children..
Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked,the good fortune to run into the ones I do,and the eyesight to tell the difference.
Yeah Scarlett I know what ur talkin abt, although I wasnt exploitable material there were some girls in my class in college who were very poor and pretty who had a tough time thanks to these so called God like teachers, fortunately the system like Saggy n FS pointed is very intolerant to such behavior and not only will the accused get fired he may also break a few bones:)
I dream of a better tomorrow where Chickens can cross the Road without having their motives questioned - Unknown
oh,yes!i've been in a professional college myself and i know quite well of the atrocities meted out to the students there.....it's saddening indeed.but don't you think the same treatment to school children is a bit too much?i mean,they are a lot more vulnerable than their more mature college-going counterparts,i reckon.
Keep smiling!
Saggi!
odd, I was going to put a personal comment to this effect, but deleted it...
had it done to me in college, as a freshman...got offered a higher grade if I would meet with the prof after his evening class. Having been raised with enough self esteem to deal with it, I went straight to the Dean's office and reported it...he was fired immediately as there were already 2 reports on this guy for the same thing.
Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked,the good fortune to run into the ones I do,and the eyesight to tell the difference.
no educator should take advantage of a student for any reason. This is pedophila at an all new low. You can't blame the children for dropping out..but what recourse do they have, when its their word against a school official?
Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked,the good fortune to run into the ones I do,and the eyesight to tell the difference.
Hey FS and Saggi! Morning Guys. Thank God you were born ya blah blah but a lot of sh|t happens in professional colleges that dont really make the news you know.
I dream of a better tomorrow where Chickens can cross the Road without having their motives questioned - Unknown
This was an interesting article, so I Baldricked to get more info..
And lo and behold, there is more..The blame is not just with the teachers.. See second paragraph regarding "justification"..
A sister article states the following..
In South Africa, at least one-third of all child rapes are by school staff. In a survey of ten villages in Benin, 34 per cent of children confirmed sexual violence in their schools.
While boys usually suffer more violent – and possibly deadly - corporal punishment at the hands of their teachers than their female classmates, sexual harassment and exploitation appear to be overwhelmingly carried out against girls. The report found girls are vulnerable to attacks not only from teachers and other care givers, but also from male students, either at school or on the journey to or from school.
“Teachers often justified the sexual exploitation of female students by saying that their clothes and behaviour were provocative, and that they, the teachers, were far from home and in sexual need,” according to PI’s report.
What can appear a ‘grey area’ in this situation is the apparent collusion of some female students.
‘Africell’, or ‘a free sell’ has been coined to describe girls who do not wear underwear to provoke teachers into sexual activities in exchange for good grades or ‘sexually transmittable means’ – food, school materials or school fees.
But these girls are not the instigators, said Atoumane Diaw, Secretary General of the National Union of Elementary Teaching in Senegal.
“These children are often encouraged by their parents. Do you think a ten year-old is going to buy herself ‘sexy’ clothes? No, it is the system, it is society that is corrupt. These poor families need [financial] help so they won’t put themselves into this situation”.
In addition to financial assistance, Diaw suggested practical measures for schools: “A modest uniform for students so everyone looks the same. Separate toilets for boys, girls or teachers. And surveillance so that the teacher is not left alone with a pupil after class”.
Poverty facilitates the abuse, according to PI. Children are increasingly responsible for the economic welfare of their families; teachers are often underpaid, or not paid at all, with some seeing sexual favours from students as ‘compensation’.
Authors of the report noted that in many African cultures, corporal punishment is often viewed as an acceptable form of discipline. Social norms that encourage male aggression and female passivity are also seen to champion various forms of violence against girls.
http://www.ippf.org/en/News/Intl+news/Africa+Sexually-transmitted+grades+kills+quality+education.htm
Thank God I was born in a much better place...where there is fair education and teachers are more respectable.
yeah....we're taught back home to consider teachers at par with parents and God!thank God i was born in a much better place too :-)
Keep smiling!
Saggi!
Where is "Darker" ???