Elimination of Violence Against Women
November 26, 2021
Mitigating Violence Against Young Women and Promoting Well-being
Adolescence is the developmental period occurring between childhood and adulthood where the majority of physical maturation, cognitive abilities, and social interactions occur.
This stage in a child’s life can expose them to a variety of factors in life such as establishing more profound connections with peers; they might develop a risk-taking behaviour or even run the risk of encountering violence. When we focus on the violence that adolescents experience, it is often perpetrated in intimate relationships, at home and in the community the adolescent lives in. To add to this, young women often fall victim to dating and sexual violence.
Some of the threats and violence young women fall victim to in intimate relationships involve
· Slapping, hitting, kicking
· Forced intercourse and other forms of coercion
· Emotional and psychological violence in the form of intimidation and humiliation
In the home and school context, young women may experience violence
in the manner of sexist language, verbal abuse or intimidation. Violence to young women by fellow male students also comes masked in bullying, name-calling and sexual harassment. This exposure to constant violence can lead the young woman to engage in self-harming behaviour like cutting herself, substance abuse, alcohol abuse and engaging in unsafe sexual acts.
The psychological effects involve depression, anxiety and suicide ideation. Physically the young woman runs the risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancies, poor self-image and struggles forming stable relationships.
In efforts to lessen the threats and impact of violence on young women, parents can work at strengthening their relationship with the young woman and focus on offering emotional support to open communication channels. Parents should enforce positive discipline measures rather than those that are abusive and practice effective conflict resolution techniques.
In the school context, the curriculum should incorporate the emphasis on gender inequality and how gender stereotypes should be challenged. Furthermore, counselling services should be offered at schools for victims to lessen the threat of them resorting to dropping out of school and managing their emotions.
For Gaborone International School (GIS), transformation is about more than new buildings and improved facilities.
When parents choose a school, academic results are often one of the first things they consider.
My child is shy to ask for anything, and I realised that the teacher at his previous school was not welcoming or friendly to the children.
