Exploring Violence against Children in School in Côte d’Ivoire: a mixed-methods study

BACKGROUND: Violence against children is a global health concern affecting one in two children worldwide. Schools can play a critical role in violence prevention, while in many parts of the world, violence in schools is pervasive. In Sub-Saharan African schools, common perpetrators of violence in childhood besides household members include teachers and school peers. Violence in childhood is associated with adverse health and education outcomes over the life course. In Côte d’Ivoire, 1 in 4 girls (28%) and over one-third of boys (35%) experience one or more forms of violence by teachers and peers despite several initiatives to reduce school violence. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: This PhD explored factors related to physical and emotional violence perpetrated against children in school in Côte d’Ivoire. Specifically, this doctoral research aimed at investigating the co-occurrence of experiences of physical violence by multiple perpetrators among schoolchildren, examining the individual characteristics associated with teachers’ self-reported use of violence towards students and exploring teachers’ perspectives and understanding of the notions of childhood corporal punishment in the socio-cultural context of post-conflict Côte d’Ivoire. METHODS: I conducted secondary analyses of data from the National Violence Against Children Survey (VACS) and from the formative evaluation of an intervention aimed at reducing violence from teachers to students (APEV). Firstly, I employed multivariable logistic regression of country-level survey data from children in school to examine the overlap of experiences of physical violence perpetrated by household members, teachers and peers. Secondly, I conducted multivariable logistic regression of survey data collected among teachers through a formative evaluation of APEV to determine the associations between teachers’ use of physical and emotional violence and individual characteristics (sociodemographic, attitude towards violence, job-related feelings and mental health). Thirdly, I analysed teachers’ perceptions of childhood and corporal punishment through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions derived from the formative evaluation. RESULTS: This research revealed that physical and emotional violence against schoolchildren is pervasive and condoned in Côte d’Ivoire. Schoolchildren's experiences of violence by different perpetrators overlap across contexts. I found that children who experienced physical violence from adults in their household were more likely to experience physical violence from teachers and be involved in physical fights. I also observed an association between experiencing community-related risk factors (e.g. feeling unsafe, experiencing violence from peers) and involvement in physical fights. Factors associated with teachers’ reported use of violence differ for emotional violence and physical violence. I observed that teachers with low acceptance of violence, those who perceived that parents did not accept violence, female teachers and those with high job motivation were less likely to report the use of physical violence. Teachers’ conceptualisation of corporal punishment in childhood through the lens of culture and the persisting violence in post-conflict Côte d’Ivoire influence teachers' endorsement and use of violent discipline towards students. The conceptualisation of Ivorian childhood in the local context influences teachers’ use of corporal punishment in school. Other factors influencing teachers’ perceptions of corporal punishment included the history of colonialism and structural influences of the harmful effects of the conflict. CONCLUSION: My PhD findings underscore the need for integrated whole-school interventions to reduce the (co)-occurrence of violence against children in and beyond school. Interventions and policies that provide better working conditions for teachers and support their mental health are needed to build better and contextually appropriate responses to reduce violence against children in schools. Developing opportunities for critical reflection around the notion of the African Child, their rights and responsibilities should include teachers, parents and community leaders. Support for teachers in post-conflict settings should include trauma-informed approaches.