In Acord Newsletter Issue 1: February 2001

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Article 8:

Boys behaving badly: Challenging sexism in Namibia

By Niki Kandirikirira
Programme Co-ordinator
ACORD Namibia

Access to work and education forced many men and older children to leave the communal areas, abandoning homesteads to the elderly, women and children. Discrimination and humiliation in the workplace pushed men to respond through avoidance, anger, turning to alcohol and violence, or internalising racism and transferring it to other ethnic groups. Back home, seeing the women fulfilling traditional male roles was a further affront to male self-esteem.

To reassert their worth, men unleashed their frustrations on the women, becoming more aggressive, authoritarian and sexually unaccountable. Responsibility for the resulting illegitimate children fell to wives and mothers, who in turn took their frustrations out on these "adopted" children, and children from 'lesser' ethnic groups. San children especially, face discrimination and exclusion in the community and in schools. Children from isolated areas board in tough, spartan hostels with minimal parental or adult guidance. Negative self-images picked up from their parents, have led to exploitative and abusive relations between boys and girls and self-destructive behaviour.

To identify causes and solutions to the problems, five communities in Aminuis District, Eastern Namibia, approached ACORD for help. Together they piloted a participatory methodology through which all stakeholders, from the state to the children, would analyse child socialisation and establish dialogue.

Preliminary research found that racism, sexism, and adult power over the young had become intertwined, creating distortions in traditional culture, in the following ways:

• Boys 'hunt' - or rape - and abuse girls with little or no response from staff.
• Girls seek out wealthy older men for self-esteem, leading to exploitation, single motherhood, increased HIV, and school dropouts.
• Girls exploit the system for material gratification but punished by boys who cannot compete.
• Male responsibility is considered admirable - measured in the number of lovers had and children sired.
• Personal wealth makes up for loss of male dignity at the expense of family welfare.
• Schools and communities prepare girls for single motherhood rather than promote understanding and responsibility amongst boys and men.

The Total Child project has encouraged communities to understand the systemic nature of racism, sexism and adultism. Having recognised assimilation attitudes, stereotypes and values, and identified the underpinnings and effects of discrimination on all sides, men, women, boys and girls of all ages are together seeking to identify the capacity and responsibility of everyone to act against injustice. 'Total Child Associations' comprising teachers, community members, hostel matrons, parents and learners aim to develop their knowledge and skills and alter their attitudes through:

• critical enquiry using a human rights approach and social exclusion analysis

• workshop on social exclusion and counselling to redirect children's behaviour
• forum theatre and social-community projects to promote dialogue
• new learner reception strategies
• training for teachers and governors
• advocacy within school communities on issues of child rights infringement
• training for Directorate of Community Development staff and volunteers in early childhood socialisation.

Lessons learnt in Aminuis are now being mainstreamed through Namibia:

• The Ministry of Basic Education and Culture (MBEC), school principals, UNICEF, NGOs, donors and the Presidential Commission on Education are encouraging increased dialogue and action to reduce social exclusion.
• The MBEC is assessing the impact of the pilot with the intention of rolling out its methodology into education systems.
• The Ministries of Women's Affairs and Child Welfare are integrating Total Child methodology into national early childhood development programmes
• ACORD is providing methodological support to a national pilot programme designed to increase the participation of children and parents of marginalised ethnic groups in the education system.

As a result of the Total Child activities:

• parents are actively advocating for change: by holding principals and teachers to account through the ministry, challenging incidences of rape and sexual harassment, and negative gender or ethnic relations.

• Children now communicate with adults on taboo issues such as girls' experiences of 'hunting', sexual exploitation by older men, teen pregnancy and corporal punishment: male/female adult/child relationships and attitudes are improving.

• Forum theatre has outed 'hunting' as rape. Through rap songs, boys express awareness that 'hunting' is sexist and oppressive and now openly discuss their attitudes towards girls and women.

• Communities have also recruited 'family visitors', to assist in developing non-sexist, non-ethnocentric child socialisation processes at family and community levels.

• Schools are challenging sexist, racist and adultist language and practices to support girls and create space for boys to redefine their male identity.

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