End School-Related Gender-Based Violence program

What it is and how it works

The United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) and UNICEF Sierra Leone implemented the ‘End SRGBV’ program in partnership with the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education and the International Rescue Committee from April 2023 to April 2024. The partners scaled up a pilot program from 21 to 200 schools in the Kenema and Kono districts, reaching 147,246 children (54% girls) and approximately 9% of the national population. These two districts were jointly selected by the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MBSSE) and UNICEF based on multiple data sources, including national statistics, sectoral assessments, and service-delivery reports, which highlighted high prevalence of gender-based violence, child marriage, and population vulnerability, alongside existing local capacity for implementation.

The program adopted UNGEI's Whole School Approach, and included [2, 4]:

• Student knowledge and skill development: Integrated gender-based violence (GBV) and life skills training for students.
• Capacity development: 1,985 teachers and school leaders trained on the Teacher Code of Conduct, positive discipline, and SRGBV-related policies, including the GBV referral protocol. Parents, Family Support Units, and community structures also participated in capacity development training.
• Systems strengthening: Enhanced coordination on SRGBV across the education sector by creating the SRGBV Intervention Knowledge Hub and a National SRGBV Coordination Mechanism.
• Safe reporting mechanisms: 200 safe spaces created in schools alongside in-school reporting mechanisms, to support confidential disclosure.
• Case management: 200 women caseworkers trained and supported on managing SRGBV cases.
• Community engagement:
  • 24 community volunteers trained as GBV focal points for students and their families.
  • 4,000 people, including students, parents, community members, and the media, reached through the community awareness campaign promoting gender equality in education and encouraged collective responsibility to end SRGBV.

To determine the impact of the ‘End SRGBV’ program in Sierra Leone, the implementers used a mixed-methods evaluation on key program-linked metrics such as students’ feelings of safety, reports of SRGBV incidents, and changes in attitudes toward gender and corporal punishment.

The evaluation demonstrated positive changes among students and school communities [2,3] after the program compared with the baseline assessment, including:

• Increased feelings of safety at school: The percentage of students reporting feeling unsafe at school decreased from 13% to 2%.
• Reduced experiences of sexual violence: Experiences of sexual violence in the past month dropped significantly, from 85% to 52%.
• Breaking the silence around rape: The belief that ‘rape’ should be kept secret fell from 31% to 9%.
• Greater confidence in reporting harm: Students’ comfort with reporting abuse or harm increased from 71% to 97%, showing strengthened knowledge and trust in school protection systems.
• Improved gender attitudes: Positive gender attitudes among students increased from 5% to 27%.
• Reduced experiences of SRGBV: Students’ experiences of SRGBV in the past 12 months decreased by eight percentage points (from 99% to 91%).
• Reduced acceptance of corporal punishment: The percentage of students who believed that teachers should be allowed to use corporal punishment dropped from 51% to 17%.

The End SRGBV program reduced experiences of SRGBV among students, including sexual violence. It created a robust framework for addressing SRGBV in Sierra Leone. Thanks to enhanced coordination, better data, increased stakeholder capacity, and improved community engagement, it addressed the immediate needs and established a robust foundation for long-term SRGBV prevention and response, strengthening Sierra Leone’s education system to prevent and respond to SRGBV sustainably. 

The national coordination mechanism led by the MBSSE has streamlined efforts to address SRGBV. With the mapping of existing interventions and actors, this mechanism has helped minimize duplication and foster collaboration among government ministries and stakeholders. Regular coordination meetings with set agendas have enabled effective progress tracking, experience sharing, and collaborative problem-solving.

The capacity development of key stakeholders, including parents, community structures, teachers, Family Support Units, students, and school leaders on the Teacher Code of Conduct, positive discipline methods, and the GBV referral protocol enabled an effective SRGBV response and promoted positive behavioral practices.

This initiative has been sustainably followed by a systems-level support to MBSSE through UNICEF and the Global Partnership for Education under the Safe Learning Technical Assistance Initiative (2024-2026).

Challenges

• Knowledge of SRGBV policies: Dissemination and implementation of SRGBV-related policies across the education system facilitates SRGBV prevention and response.
• Existence of response pathways: Lack of accessible reporting systems, referral pathways, and survivor-centred response mechanisms in schools and at the community-level makes disclosure, service seeking, and service access more difficult for children experiencing SRGBV.
• Pre-service capacity strengthening: Training that explicitly aims to equip teachers with the knowledge and skills to prevent and respond to SRGBV is needed sustainably. 

Lessons learned 

• Link reporting mechanisms to a strong, trusted support and referral system: SRGBV case managers fostered trust and facilitated reporting among adolescents, providing a reliable and approachable point of contact and making students feel safe and less vulnerable. Collaboration between case managers, school authorities, and community representatives ensured a comprehensive SRGBV response.
• Provide alternatives to corporal punishment: Sensitizing teachers, school heads, and      School Management Committee members on alternative forms of discipline proved successful in changing beliefs about corporal punishment fostering a safer and more supportive learning environment.
• Multi-sectoral coordination: Close collaboration among sectors, including health and social services, is central to ensuring appropriate referrals and case management. Multiple government ministries (e.g., Education, Social Welfare) provided valuable insights into the contextual nuances of the existing reporting mechanisms and case management protocols. This informed a holistic and informed approach to tackling underlying issues.
• Supporting students: Ensuring the presence of at least one focal point or mentor in each school  facilitated trust, reporting, and service seeking. This was critical given that many teachers are male and may be perpetrators of SRGBV against adolescent girls.
• Government participation: The participation of government officials in capacity development sessions for community members, teachers, and school heads strengthened collaboration. building linkages with and facilitating cascade training within government structures.