WUSC, Gender Equity and Corporal Punishment

An important part of WUSC's and the Uniterra program's mandate is to work for equity for women. Studies and field experience have shown that improving the conditions of women which is necessary from a rights based approach also has a multiplier effect on development. Part of every Uniterra volunteer's mandate is to work on gender equity and development. While my primary mandate is to strengthen the NGO I am placed with my gender component is focused on reducing violence against girls especially in schools. Studies show that the threat of violence is one of the barriers to increasing the number ofi girls in school as well as the quality of their educational outcomes. I have been working with my GNECC colleagues on a multi-year project that has focused on various forms of violence particularly sexual violence against girls. The current phase is focusing on alternatives to corporal punishment. Physical (and also mental and emotional) punishment/abuse is common and culturally accepted by many. Over 95% of both boys and girls report having experienced corporal punishment. It occurs in the home, in the community and in school. There is no law against corporal punishment in Ghana though there are laws against both physical and sexual assault. Corporal punishment of children though is not considered assault unless it passes an undefined line of excessiveness. In the school setting one the most common techniques is to beat children using a cane. GNECC in partnership with Action Aid
, UNICEF and the Ghana Education Service developed a Teacher's Code of Conduct which was in theory enshrined as an official human resources policy. This code forbid the use of corporal punishment by teachers with progressive discplinary outcomes for teachers up to and including dismissal and reporting to the police. Despite this code though corporal punishment continues. This is a classic case of implementing a regulation where there is not yet cultural acceptance. In multiple conservation I have had with teachers, NGO staff and even students I have been told that corporal punishment is a necessary disciplinary tool. One teacher told me, after asking if teachers in Canada practice corporal punishment, and I said no,that what I did not understand is that children in Ghana are so much more misbehaved than in Canada that caning is necessary. I assured him that while I had limited experience obseving Ghanaian children from what I had seen they were extremely well behaved. Children in school, and in Ghana as a whole fit in a hierarchy that values elders, adults and men. Classrooms often resemble those in old British movies where everyone sits up straight, calls teacher by madam or sir and repeats back desired responses in rote unison. I asked what are examples of misbehaviour and the examples given to me all focused on failing to satisfactorily complete homework. Contextually this is important as there are so many reasons that may impact the completion of homework.
These can include improper nutrition, illiteracy, chores such as fetching water or farming, jobs to supplement the family income or learning disabilities. The reasons behind failure to adequately complete homework are not investigated. Instead the teacher sees their role as to correct the misbehaviour through caning or other methods. We visited three schools to discuss punishment with the students. We excluded the teachers so the students would feel freer to speak. First we asked them what punishments they were familiar with. Examples included caning, hitting, kneeling on hard floors, weeding, garbage picking, digging of holes and then filling them in again, standing outside without being allowed to move under the hot sun, washing the teacher's car and working during school time on the teacher's farm amongst many others. Some punishments also included various exclusions from the classroom. We then asked the children what they thought of these punishments. By far the majority wished for alternative, more positive methods to be used. Many students felt that it was important for teachers to take the time to understand what barriers were preventing the completion of homework. Also interesting was the near unanimous condemnation of caning and also punishments that excluded students from class. Some even questioned if punishment was necessary at all as there could be more positive, reinforcing techniques that could be used. The thoughtfulness, engagement and commitment to learning 
so refreshing and exciting to see especially given that these students are immersed in an adult culture that insisted that techniques such as caning are indispensable. GNECC will be using the testimony of these children in an upcoming advocacy campaign focusing on positive alternatives to punishment. By providing parents and teachers with positive, proven successful techniques at bringing the best out of students we hope to begin to get teachers to buy in to these changes. We are working with some great Ghanaian educators who have used these techniques resulting in improved outcomes and a more positive experience for everyone. By removing the use of violence in school, the lesson that violence is a way to solve problems is removed leading to a less violent, more positive future.