Genderations - Part 5 of 6 Caring School Communities

Oct 19, 2026

Uploaded by Patrick

Part 5 of 6 Caring School Communities focuses on preventing and managing sexual violence and harassment in schools. It outlines educators’ professional, moral, and legal duties to protect learners, introduces Guidelines for prevention and management, and connects gender relationships to safer schooling. Key sections define sexual harassment and sexual violence, clarify when behaviour meets these definitions, and list signs that may indicate abuse. It also highlights responsibilities linked to the right to equality and provides practical directions for creating safer environments.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages3

Reading Time8 min

AccessFree to download

Straight talk: Defining sexual harassment

Straight talk: Defining sexual violence

Know the signs

A Bill of Responsibilities for the Youth of South Africa

Responsibility related to the right to equality

In this issue: practical ideas for creating a safe school

PART 5 of 6 Caring School Communities WANTED: Schools free from sexual violence and harassment Educators have a professional, moral legal duty to protect learners from harm while they are at school. and any They therefore have a leading part to play in protecting learners from sexual violence and harassment – which currently is occurring at too many of our schools. To support them in doing so, the Department of Education has developed Guidelines for the Prevention and Management of Sexual Violence and Harassment. In Genderations 4 we focused on: • Understanding the types of behaviour considered to be acts of sexual violence and/ or harassment; • The importance of a clear learner’s Code of Conduct to express types of behaviour that are unacceptable, as well as consequences a learner would face should they break these school rules; and • The Code of Ethics for educators, as well as the legal obligations and restrictions concerning the actions of educators. In this issue of Genderations, we’ll be looking at a number of strategies schools can use to help prevent incidents of sexual violence and harassment from taking place. These range from practical steps to creating a safer school to shifting attitudes to do with gender relationships . Straight talk: Defining sexual harassment In the Guidelines, the basic definition of sexual harassment is unwanted conduct of a sexual nature. It includes any unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct. The Guidelines state that sexual attention is sexual harassment if: • The behaviour is repeated (although a single incident can be considered as being sexual harassment); • The recipient (or person on the receiving end of such behaviour) has made it clear that she/he considers the behaviour to be offensive; and/or • The perpetrator (or person carrying out the action/s) know, or should have known, that the behaviour is unacceptable. Sexual harassment can be committed by and against a male or a female person. Straight talk: Defining sexual violence The Guidelines define sexual violence as any sexual act or attempted sexual act using intimidation, threats of violence, or physical force. Such acts at school may include: • Assault, forced sex or rape; EQUALITY • Sexual harassment; and • Sexual abuse through the sexualised touching of another’s intimate parts, and/ or forcing any person to touch any person’s intimate parts. Know the signs Some signs that point to a learner having been abused are easy to see, such as bruises or scratches resulting from physical abuse. But there are also types of behaviour to be aware of that could also signal abuse: • Loss of self-esteem and confidence; • Depression; • Emotional withdrawal; • Absenteeism; • Loss of interest in school work and resulting drop in achievement; • Difficulty in concentrating in class; and • Anger, which may be expressed towards the perpetrator, but may also be directed towards others. remember: educators have a legal duty to notify authorities if there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that a child is being abused or is in need of care. A Bill of Responsibilities for the Youth of South Africa The Bill of Responsibilities is a resource for schools developed by the Department of Education and the National Religious Leaders’ Forum in 2008. This Bill outlines the responsibilities that flow from each of the rights enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. Educators should use this Bill to teach learners about rights, responsibilities, and our country’s Constitution. the following is the responsibility related to the right to equality: The right to equality places on me the responsibility to • treat every person equally and fairly, and • not to discriminate unfairly against anyone on the basis of race, gender, sex, pregnancy, marital status ethnic or social origin, colour, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, co

FAQs

What duties do educators have regarding sexual violence and harassment in school?

Educators have a professional, moral, and legal duty to protect learners from harm at school, including a duty to notify authorities when there are reasonable grounds to suspect child abuse or a need for care.

How does the Guidelines define sexual harassment?

Sexual harassment is unwanted conduct of a sexual nature, including physical, verbal, or non-verbal unwelcome behaviour. It may be sexual harassment when the behaviour is repeated, the recipient indicates it is offensive, and/or the perpetrator knows or should have known it is unacceptable.

What are the signs that may indicate a learner has been abused?

Visible signs like bruises or scratches can indicate physical abuse, but warning behaviours include loss of self-esteem and confidence, depression, emotional withdrawal, absenteeism, declining school interest and achievement, difficulty concentrating, and anger directed toward the perpetrator or others.

Oct 19, 2026

Uploaded by Patrick