Ending School-Related Gender-Based Violence (SRGBV) in primary schools: a two-pronged approach

YcDEI's model is a two-pronged approach to combating school-related gender-based violence (SRGBV), in which both teachers and pupils are trained to identify, prevent and report on SRGBV. Teachers are invited to a one-day training held in a central location in which they learn about identifying and combating SRGBV, with a particular focus on how to respond to pupil reports of SRGBV. Fifty pupils per school in grades Primary 4, Primary 5 and Primary 6 are invited to a one-day training held at their school in which they are trained on identifying and combating SRGBV, as well as other forms of self-advocacy. After the training, YcDEI stays in contact with schools in order to facilitate the management of any cases of SRGBV which may arise.

2025-02-21

2025-03-21

Our primary outcome of interest is incidence of SRGBV.

As SRGBV is sensitive and difficult to measure, we use a number of different measurements in the study:
- We ask teachers their perception of what share of pupils experience SRGBV and whether they have received reports of SRGBV from pupils (and, if so, about the specific actions students report). These questions are asked at baseline and during our follow up survey.
- We ask pupils their perception of what share of pupils experience SRGBV, whether they have received reports of SRGBV from other pupils (and, if so, about the specific actions students report) and whether they themselves have experienced SRGBV (and, if so, their specific experiences). These questions are asked at baseline and during our follow up survey.
- We conduct a transparent box exercise, in which pupils are asked to anonymously indicate whether they have experienced any type of SRGBV by ticking a 'sad' face on a small piece of paper. These papers are color-coded by gender. They are collected within a given classroom and reports are counted relative to the number of slips turned in. This exercise is done at baseline, after treatment but before our follow up survey, and during our follow up survey.
- We provide a private reporting lockbox in each classroom in which pupils can turn in an anonymous report of having experienced SRGBV. This data is captured during the period during and after treatment through the follow up survey at two-week intervals.
- We give each classroom a reporting register, in which teachers are asked to record all details of cases of SRGBV that pupils report to them. This data is captured during the period during and after treatment through the follow up survey at two-week intervals.

We have several secondary outcomes of interest:
- Pupil knowledge of SRGBV
- Pupil propensity to believe and respond to the reports of others
- Bullying, measured in a subset of the ways that we measure experiences of SRGBV
- Self-reports of pupil attendance
- Pupil self-esteem, life orientation, and anxiety
- Pupil test scores (using tests taken at school)
- Teacher propensity to believe pupil reports of SRGBV
- Teacher beliefs about how to reduce SRGBV
- Teacher plans in the event of SRGBV reporting

We conduct a multi-stage randomization.

First, out of our 45 schools, 10 were randomly assigned to a pure control group, with no contact planned until the time of the follow-up survey.

Second, after the baseline survey, the remaining 35 schools were split between 20 treatment and 15 control.

Third, after the baseline survey, in treatment schools where more than 50 pupils were surveyed, we randomly assigned 50 of those pupils to the training. No more than 60 pupils were surveyed per school, meaning no more than 10 pupils were assigned not to be treated within treatment schools.

Not available

Randomization done in office by a computer

Schools, pupils

Yes

45 schools

Approximately 160 teachers and 1,800 pupils

20 treatment schools, 15 control schools, 10 pure control schools

Within treatment schools, we assigned 927 pupils to training and 125 to no training.