Students' responses to sexual harassment at colleges of education in Zimbabwe

Abstract

With Zimbabwe’s commitment towards the attainment of inclusive and equitable quality education and empowerment of girls and women by 2030, it becomes necessary to deepen the understanding of sexual harassment in educational institutions and even more so because evidence suggests it as an impediment factor. The current study focuses on students’ responses to encounters of sexual harassment at Colleges of education in Zimbabwe. The study will add to scholarship, policy and practice. A qualitative case study design was adopted to investigate the problem of students’ responses to sexual harassment at Colleges of education in Zimbabwe. The method was selected specifically for its advantage of providing an in-depth explanation on the phenomenon. A total of 20 participants (16 students, 2 lecturers and 2 SAYWHAT staff) were purposively selected following ethical clearance by UNISA and permission and the institution’s permission to conduct the study. Data was collected by means of individual face-to-face interviews and focus group discussions guided by a set of semi-structured questions. Data was analysed thematically following steps of familiarisation, coding and searching for themes. The study was approached from the critical theory as it adopted a liberal feminist perspective, whose tenets are empowerment, transformation and emancipation of women. The findings were presented under the following themes: understanding of sexual harassment, experiences of sexual harassment, contributing factors to the occurrences of sexual harassment, students’ reactions to encounters of sexual harassment and suggestions for empowering students’ responses. Findings revealed that sexual harassment was narrowly understood and highly prevalent in various forms. Male students were found to be the major perpetrators of sexual harassment while female students were considered the most likely to be victimised. Although students engaged in varied responses to encounters of sexual harassment, silence was the most common response, but not their ideal one. vi The study concludes that gender mainstreaming in the teacher education curriculum is a means to empower students’ responses. This would in turn cause the realisation of the country’s Heritage Based Education 5.0, which contributes to the achievement of the United Nations SDGs 4 and 5 of Vision 2030. The findings recommend gender mainstreaming of the teacher education curriculum to enable the curbing of sexual harassment through empowering students’ responses, ultimately resulting in their emancipation.

Met die nasie se verbintenis tot die bereiking van inklusiewe en billike gehalte-onderwys en bemagtiging van meisies en vroue teen 2030, word dit nodig om die begrip van seksuele teistering in onderwysinstellings te verdiep, meer omdat getuienis dit as 'n belemmeringsfaktor voorstel. Hierdie studie fokus op studente se ervarings en hul antwoorde op ontmoetings met seksuele teistering by onderwyskolleges in Zimbabwe. Die studie sal bydra tot wetenskap, beleid en bemagtiging. 'N Kwalitatiewe gevallestudie-ontwerp is aanvaar om die probleem te ondersoek. Die metode is spesifiek gekies vir die voordeel dat dit 'n diepgaande uiteensetting van die verskynsel bied. Altesaam 20 deelnemers (16 studente, 2 dosente en 2 SAYWHAT-personeel) is doelgerig gekies na etiese goedkeuring deur UNISA en toestemming om die studie deur die instelling te doen. Data is ingesamel deur middel van individuele onderhoude van aangesig tot aangesig en fokusgroepbesprekings gelei deur 'n stel semi-gestruktureerde vrae. Data is tematies geanaliseer volgens stappe van vertroudheid, kodering en soek na temas. Die studie is benader vanuit die kritiese teorie en feministiese perspektief van bemagtiging, transformasie en emansipasie van die marginalisering van vroue. Die bevindings is aangebied onder die volgende temas: ervarings van seksuele teistering, bydraende faktore tot die voorkoms van seksuele teistering en voorstelle om studente se antwoorde te bemagtig. Bevindinge het aan die lig gebring dat seksuele teistering in verskillende vorme eng verstaan word en baie algemeen voorkom. Daar is bevind dat mansstudente die belangrikste oortreders van seksuele teistering is, terwyl vrouestudente as die grootste kans gesien word om geviktimiseer te word. Alhoewel studente uiteenlopend reageer op ontmoetings met seksuele teistering, was stilte die algemeenste, maar nie hul ideale nie. Die studie het tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat geslagsinstroming in die kurrikulum vir onderwysersopleiding 'n middel is om studente se antwoorde te bemagtig. Dit sou op sy beurt die verwesenliking van die land se Erfenisgebaseerde Onderwys 5.0 veroorsaak, wat bydra tot die bereiking van die Verenigde Nasies se SDG 4 en 5 van Visie 2030. Die bevindinge beveel aan dat geslagsinstroming in die leerplan vir onderwysersopleiding ten einde die beperking van seksuele teistering deur bemagtiging van studente se reaksies, wat uiteindelik hul emansipasie van die situasie tot gevolg het.

Ngokuzibophezela kwamazwe ekufinyeleleni ekutholeni imfundo esezingeni ebandakanya bonke nokulingana nokufukulwa kwamantombazane nabesifazane ngonyaka ka-2030, kuba nesidingo sokujulisa ukuqonda kokuhlukunyezwa ngokocansi ezikhungweni zemfundo, ikakhulu ngoba ubufakazi bukhombisa ukuthi buyisithiyo. Lolu cwaningo lugxile kokuhlangenwe nakho kwabafundi kanye nezimpendulo zabo lapho behlangabezana nokuhlukunyezwa ngokocansi emakolishi emfundo eZimbabwe. Ucwaningo luzokwengeza ekufundiseni, kwinqubomgomo nasekufukuleni. Kwamukelwa idizayini esezingeni elifanele yokuphenya le nkinga. Le ndlela yakhethwa ngokukhethekile ukuze kusizakale ukunikezela ngencazelo ejulile ngale nto. Bangu-20 ababambiqhaza (abafundi abayi-16, abafundisi ababili kanye nabasebenzi be-2 SAYWHAT) abakhethwe ngenhloso kulandela imvume ye-UNISA kanye nemvume yokwenza ucwaningo yisikhungo. Idatha yaqoqwa ngokusebenzisa izingxoxo zomuntu ngamunye ubuso nobuso nezingxoxo zamaqembu okugxila kuwo ziholwa isethi yemibuzo ehlelekile. Idatha yahlaziywa ngokulandelana kulandela izinyathelo zokujwayela, ukufaka amakhodi nokusesha izingqikithi. Ucwaningo lwasuselwa kumcabango obucayi kanye nombono wabesifazane wokufukulwa, ukuguqulwa kanye nokukhululwa kokucwaswa kwabesifazane. Okutholakele kwethulwe ngaphansi kwalezi zingqikithi ezilandelayo: okuhlangenwe nakho kokuhlukunyezwa ngokocansi, izinto ezinomthelela ezenzakalweni zokuhlukunyezwa ngokocansi kanye neziphakamiso zokunika amandla izimpendulo zabafundi. Okutholakele kuveze ukuthi ukuhlukunyezwa ngokocansi bekuqondwa kancane futhi kudlange kakhulu ngezindlela ezahlukahlukene. Abafundi besilisa kutholakale ukuthi yibo abenza kakhulu ukuhlukumeza ngokocansi kuthi abafundi besifazane babhekwe njengabahlukumezeka kakhulu. Yize abafundi bebenza izimpendulo ezahlukahlukene lapho behlangabezana nokuhlukunyezwa ngokocansi, ukuthula bekuyinto ejwayelekile, kepha hayi eyabo ekahle. Ucwaningo luphetha ngokuthi ukufakwa kobulili kwikharikhulamu yemfundo yothisha kuyindlela yokunika amandla izimpendulo zabafundi. Lokhu kuzodala ukuthi kufezeke iMfundo 5.0 yezwe eyigugu, ebambe iqhaza ekufinyeleleni kwe-United Nations SDG 4 no-5 Yombono 2030. Lokhu okutholakele kuncoma ukugcizelelwa kobulili kwikharikhulamu yezemfundo yothisha ukuze kuvinjelwe ukuhlukunyezwa ngokocansi ukunika amandla izimpendulo zabafundi, ekugcineni okuholele ekukhululweni kwabo kulesi simo.