Present interventions for girls

56. The Dakar Consensus and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child,31 which emerged from the International Conference on Assistance to the African Child, recognized the special needs of girl children, the special roles of women and the need to end gender discrimination from the earliest years if girls are to be given the opportunity to reach their full potential. The commitments made included increas ing resources to meet girls' and women's needs; strengthening mechanisms for promotion, coordination and monitoring of efforts; review and reform of legal codes and legislation; the increase in women's representa tion to ensure articulation of the needs of women and girls; and the protection of the girl child from harmful traditional practices. Concrete follow-up activities of the Education For All Conference, held in Jomtien, for girls' education have been initiated in several countries such as Botswana, Cameroon, Djibouti, Egypt,

Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, the Sudan, Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania.

A. Initiatives for girls within national plans of action

57. Several countries have undertaken advocacy initiatives for the advancement of women and girls in their national programmes of action as follow-up to the World Summit for Children.32 For instance, in Cameroon the national programme of action technical committee was reconstituted to report to the Office of the President because it is central to political, national and policy priority. In Botswana, the national pro gramme of action addresses the issue of women's status and recommends changes in the legislation. In

Uganda, district plans of action for women and children are being advocated as a means of decentralizing national programmes of action to the district and community levels.

58. In the United Republic of Tanzania, the national plan of action focuses on reducing women's work

load and on empowerment to improve the status of women. A gender empowerment handbook was prepared

with UNICEF support. UNICEF is also participating in the advisory group on gender statistics which has been set up to facilitate data on the situation of women and girls. Similarly, in Ethiopia, studies undertaken

on the girl child include surveys on the participation and performance of girls in rural primary schools, gender analysis of primary school textbooks and the formation of a task force on general primary and adult education. In Guinea, an awareness campaign is under way to highlight the importance of educating girls.

Radio broadcasts on the rural network cover topics dealing with education of girls, early marriages and female genital mutilation, among others.

59. In Nigeria, UNICEF, in cooperation with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), is engaged in setting up

small-31 OAU, "African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child", OAU, CAB/LEG/153/Rev.2,

Addis Ababa (not dated).

32 UNICEF, "World Declaration and Plan of Action from the World Summit for Children", in First

Call For Children. New York, 1990.

scale projects in promotion of girl child education in the northern states of the country to address the gender gap in access to basic education, whereas in Burkina Faso, a national commission for monitoring the imple mentation of the national strategies and plan of action was created in 1993. Operating under the chairperson of the Ministry of Planning, the commission has members from various ministries, NGOs, women's organi

zations, religious and traditional communities.

60. In response to the specific actions for girls outlined in key policy documents, including the Conven tion on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the World Summit for Children and the Consensus of Dakar, some leading NGOs have incorporated issues of girls in their programmes. For example, in a regional congress held in Nairobi in December 1993, the Medical Women's International Association (MWIA) drew up a plan of action for health interventions from the "womb to the tomb", embracing a lot of the strategies and actions recommended in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and national plans of action. FEMNET is coordinating the girl child preparatory activities for the Dakar and Beijing Conferences and NGOs like the Inter-African Com mittee Against Harmful Traditional Practices That Affect Women's Health is continuing its work in fighting against female genital mutilation. Indeed, one of the interesting features at the process towards Beijing is that the platform of action for the girl child will be bringing together actions proposed in different sectors,

programmes and conferences over the last five years.

The female child initiative: Kenya

In 1991 the Kenyan Alliance for Advocacy on Children's Rights (KAACR), in partnership with UNICEF, embarked on a project on the female child in Kenya. Following the creation of a technical

committee to coordinate the initiative, a plan of action was developed.33

A study was conducted to prepare a situation analysis of the female child in Kisumu, Nairobi and Kwale, representing a sample of semi-urban, urban and rural communities. It covered education, socio-cultural, employment, health and legal status of the female child.34 Following the study, the

UNICEF Country Office produced an advocacy video entitled "The Lesser Child" involving the com

munities in which the study was carried out. The video is a powerful advocacy tool and is being used by policy makers, communities and other groups. Follow-up activities included a national conference

to discuss the study report, extensions of the national survey to mere districts, national symposium on the education of girls and the formation of community action groups known as "Friends of the Girl Child".

The girl child initiative in Kenya is one of the most comprehensive examples of programmes for the

girl child in Africa. One of the attributes for its success is the inter-agency team-work, the commit ment of individuals, the existence of a strong coordinating agency and the strong financial and tech nical support provided by UNICEF and other agencies.

33 Government of Kenya and UNICEF, "Children and Women in Kenya: A Situational Analysis

1992", Nairobi, 1993.

34 Okumu, D., "Situation of the girl child in Kenya", prepared by the Child Welfare Society of Kenya

and UNICEF Kenya, Nairobi, 1992.

B. Girls' education

61 The. Fnrum for African Women FHnr.atinnaikts (FAWE1: The mobilization of women Politicians and educationalists to support female education is one of the most commendable regional imttatives. FAWE is an NGO that brings together a group of ministers in charge of national education systems, umve^y vice-chancellors, permanent secretaries and other eminent educationalists. Founded in 1992, FAWE provides a forum for this group of influential women leaders to act as both think-tank and pressure group to effect positive changes in female education in Africa with focus on appropriate policy debate, advocacy, promotion and mobilization of resources for female education in Africa.35 Presently, in 1994, it has 26 members from 22 countries The FAWE programme includes strategic resource planning under which issues of out-or-school females and those at risk of dropping out will be addressed; provision of seed grants for country experiments and demonstrations; advocacy and public information; awards for innovators; and resource

mobilization.

62 The. Education Fnr All Network for Eastern and .Southern Africa fEFANES): This network of NGOs was formed with focus on the girl child in education. The Education and Research Network of Eastern_and Southern Africa (ERNESA) and FEMNET, both members of EFANESA, collaborated with UNICEF m undertaking the study on the girl child in eight countries, as a result of which national plans of action for improving the education of the girl child were formulated. The NGO UNICEF Forum held in Kadoma, Zimbabwe, in 1991, also identified specific actions for women's and girls' education, including the involve

ment of gender-sensitive men in advocacy for women's empowerment.

Girls Attainment of Basic Literacy and Education: Malawi

The Ministry of Education of Malawi, through the Girls Attainment of Basic Literacy and Education (GABLE) programme and with assistance from the United States Agency for International Develop ment (USAID) addresses the factors contributing to high drop-out rates among girls, namely lackot school fees, early pregnancy, marriage and low perceptions of value ot education for girls The problem has been tackled through school fees waivers for non-repeating girls, establishing a task torce on girls' education, establishing a gender-appropriate curriculum, revising the pregnancy policy which previously enforced the dismissal of pregnant girls, and conducting a nationwide social mobilization campaign on the value of educating girls.

Malawi's pro-active approach in addressing the constraints to girls' education has had a positive effect, the retention of girls through the primary system has increased by 30 per cent, i.e., from 8 Per cent of the number of girls who entered primary school in 1980/81 enrolled in standard VIII in 1988/89'to 38 per cent of those who entered primary school in 1984/85 enrolled in standard VIII in 1992/93.

Despite these trends, overall there has been less impact on the achievement of girls. The increase m the- proportion of girls passing the primary school leaving certificate examination was only 27 per cent in 1992/93 from 21 per cent in 1984/85. The challenge remains in improving the quality of education to ensure higher achievements by the girls.

63 other initiatives in piris' education: The follow-up to the EFA and other initiatives have resulted in the development of more explicit strategies at national level. For example, among the priority concerns

35 FAWE, "Supporting girls and women to acquire education for development", Nairobi, 1993.

addressed by the sixth Conference of Ministers of Education and those responsible for economic planning in Ouagadougou in April 1993 was the issue of reversing the downward trend of primary school enrolment

ratios, strengthening of early childhood education and improving the primary schooling of girls. The Con ference also developed concrete strategies for improving the education of the girl child. These include

non-formal education, improving the national policy environment, using the local culture as an omnibus for

improving teaching and learning processes, making the girl child the centre-piece for educational planning

and introducing more empirical research in determining factors affecting the education of girls in order to better inform planners on key areas for investment.36

64. Although progress has been slower than anticipated, the EFA and other declarations on female educa tion are beginning to influence policy and programming in education. Examples from Djibouti, Uganda, Malawi, Ghana, Egypt, Cameroon, Mozambique, the Niger, Kenya and Burkina Faso indicate some concrete actions have already been taken, and even though the interventions are small, they present concrete examples for expansion and replication,

65. The concern over the effects of structural adjustment policies and other economic policies resulted in new different strategies for maximizing on the investment in education have been introduced. One is the

contributions of the Donors of African Education (DAE) Working Group on Female Participation in Educa tion, which is working with African Governments, NGOs and the private sector to address issues of female education, including research, policy, financing, innovations and alternative approaches. This effort is

beginning to have tangible.benefits, as demonstrated by affirmative action projects such as the Girls Attain ment of Basic Literacy and Education (GABLE) in Malawi and similar initiatives in Burkina Faso, Uganda,

Zambia and Zimbabwe.

C. Teenage pregnancy

66. Interventions addressing adolescent teenage pregnancy: primary school dropouts due to pregnancy

-United Republic of Tanzania: In a study carried out in 1984 to determine the extent of the problem of

school dropout, it was observed that more girls than boys dropped out of school. The main reason for this high drop-out is pregnancy. It was from this perspective that the Family Planning Association of Tanzania (UMATI) decided to establish a project for primary school dropouts due to pregnancy in 1986.37

67. UMATI conducted a study in 1990 which revealed that one third of primigravidae were girls aged

13 to 16 years. Some of the girls did not even know when in the menstrual cycle they could conceive. The objectives of the project were drawn from the findings and aimed at interventions for the pregnant girls as well as awareness raising among policy workers, youth leaders, religious leaders and members of the com munity to the problem. The project has drawn attention to the gaps in legal rights of teenage parenthood and called for corrective action, both in the public and private sectors.

68. The project's activities are targeted at teenage mothers between the ages of 12 and 16 years. They are taught mathematics, English, general knowledge and Kiswahili and are also exposed to family life educa tion. The project also offers family planning education and helps the girls develop self-esteem and con

fidence. A baby nursery helps the girls attend school uninterrupted. Upon successful completion of the

course, the centre offers a certificate equivalent to the primary school leaving certificate which allows the teenage mothers to gain access to private secondary schools.

36 UNESCO/UNICEF, "The Education of Girls: The Ouagadougou Declaration and Framework of

Action", Pan-African Conference on the Education of Giris, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 1993.

37 UNICEF, "The Girl Child: Disparities and Opportunities in Education", ibid.

The

YWCA Educational Centre for Adolescent Women (ECAW) - Botswana

of school due to pregnancy

38

S5X~SKS iSS- ^ Preventive approach can avert repeat

pregnancies and assist the girls to continue their education.

well-administered project.

HIV/AIDS n^

D. Interventions addressing HIV/AIDS

irk - Cameroon: The tight against AIDS in Cameroon

veillance system and actions targeted to youth

condoms can be adopted.

of the problems caused by AIDS.

» Alexander, E., 'The YWCA Educational Centre for Adolescent Women", paper presented at UNICEF Inter-regional Consultation on the Girl Child, ibid.

» Mpondo, B., "HIV/AIDS Prevention among Adolescent Girls in Cameroon", paper presented at

T,*,r^r^ t—„, ,L;™^i rnnc.iltatinn on the Girl Child,

ibid-UNICEF support in 1991* Its objective is to reduce HIV and other STD infections in sexually active youth by a third, to raise the average age of the first sexual activity by a year or more, to reduce teenage pregnancies and the present ratio of HIV-positive girls to boys aged 15 to 20 years; to reduce pregnancy in HIV-positive mothers and sexual contact between older men and young girls. The main challenge of SYFA is how to close the gap between awareness and practice.

73. SYFA is characterized by two key elements. The first is that it is behaviour/practice change that is all-important, not mere awareness. The second is that SYFA has single strategy into which all thinking and implementation fits. The primary beneficiaries are pre-adolescents (5-9 years) and early adolescents (10-14 years). Among other things, the SYFA approach includes creation of early awareness and sound health prac tices, increased self-esteem and determination to live healthy lifestyles in the 5-9 year age group, delivery of increasingly problem-oriented information to the 10-14 year olds and 15-19 year olds; increased know ledge of HIV and how to reduce risks, including what it means to be HIV-positive and how to get tested.

E. Harmful traditional practices

74. Programme to eradicate excision. Burkina Faso: Excision is widely practiced by most ethnic groups in Burkina Faso. Studies conducted indicate that 70 per cent Burkinabe women are excised.41 The excision is performed on female babies and little girls to prevent opposition of the practice, using knives and blades.

It is generally initiated by the grandparents, mothers and aunts and rarely by the father. Reasons to justify excision practice are often based on religious precepts (Islam), customs, women's fecundity and young girl

virginity.

75. A national commission to combat the excision practice was created in 1990 to carry out sensitization and educational activities as well as conduct research to better understand the reasons behind the practice.

Although the pace is slow, there has been some impact on the way people discuss this issue. The news papers are also publishing articles related to the problems of excision. Many mothers are convinced that the practice is harmful to their daughters and most of them are attending the sensitization talks. Some of the practitioners have become aware of the danger related to their work and some have given up the practice.

76. Programme for combating female genital mutilation. Sudan: Although infibu!ation(Pharonic circum cision) was banned in 1940, surveys report high prevalence of the practice. In north Sudan, nearly 90 per cent of women had undergone the operation, two thirds of them when they were 5-9 years old. Social factors were identified as the main reason for perpetuation of the practice, with more than 75 per cent of

the women supporting it.

77. Renewed efforts were initiated in 1992, with the inclusion of eradication of the practice as a goal in the National Programme of Action for Children of Sudan. A plan of action, in the short term, was for mulated with time-bound objectives of community education, training of health workers and monitoring by high-level committees at State and provincial levels with participation from the grassroots. The initial acti vities showed positive results and became the basis for the long-term plan of action.112

40 Akilu, Lemma, "The Window of Hope for Safeguarding Youth From AIDS in Uganda", Kampala,

1993.

111 Lamizana, Mariame, "Excision in Burkina Faso", paper presented at the UNICEF Inter-regional

Consultation on the Girl Child, ibid.

42 Badri, Balghees, "Eradication of Harmful Traditional Practices in Sudan", paper presented at

UNICEF Inter-regional Consultation on the Girl Child,

ibid-78 The emphasis is on education and inter-sectoral actions. Training and orientation on the practice and

its effects is organized for health workers, midwives, traditional birth attendants, teachers, women volunteers

and leaders of community-based women's groups and youth clubs. Sensitization campaigns are directed at

both men and women in the villages and for mobilization of religious leaders, front-line workers, service

providers and community leaders. A systematic approach to training and sensitization has been developed

and implemented in collaboration with national women's organizations such as the Sudanese Women's

Union, the Sudanese Women's Workers Federation and the Youth Association. The social mobilization

campaigns are supported through the production and dissemination of information, education and com

munication materials, training modules and surveys for monitoring change. The programme is receiving

attention at the highest policy levels and is being implemented with partnership among several ministries and

NGOs (such as the Inter-African Committee Against Harmful Traditional Practices) and is being supported

by UNICEF and other United Nations agencies. It serves as a model for the development of similar inte

grated and systematic programmes in other parts of Africa.

Dans le document Education, health and social issues Part II B (Page 63-69)