Amnesty rally calls for safe schools for girls

New Delhi: In order to demonstrate the principle that the right to education is incomplete without the provision of access to safe education, Amnesty International India organised a nationwide rally on “Safe School for Girls” on November 14 in New Delhi.

Around five hundred school children marched in the Indian capital starting from Mandi House and culminating at Jantar Mantar. The march was also joined by teachers, activists and representatives from civil society groups.

School children participate in the rally / Photo credit: Amnesty

“Right to education has little meaning for girls if it is not provided in a safe and dignified atmosphere without any fear of violence. When the country is readying to take a historic step in ensuring free public and primary education to all, the law must also be provided with the sufficient provisions to make schools safe for girls”, said Mukul Sharma, Director of Amnesty International India.

The march was also attended by Vinod Raina, General Secretary of Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti (BGVS) and a Right to Education Activist.

The march was organised under the “Safe School for Girls” thematic which is the current focus of Amnesty International’s “Stop Violence Against Women” campaign.

The primary goals of this spotlight include not only eliminating the occurrence of sexual violence but also reforming the educational system and ensuring that appropriate legal frameworks are brought into action where such cases can be dealt with efficiently.

The march was followed by a street theatre and cultural programmes prepared by school children and other groups to commemorate Children’s Day. Theatre group Sankalp Rang Toli performed a street theatre on violence free environment in schools.

In Delhi, the march included representatives and children from civil society groups such as Sakshi, Abhas, Nav Srishti, Bhartiya Navdeep Samiti, and the Centre for Social Research; private schools such as Mount Carmel School, Dwarka; public schools such as Kendra Vidyalaya, Pushp Vihar; and various MCD schools across the city with the cooperation of the MCD Mayor, Arti Mehra.

A violence free environment

"There is a need for a violence free environment. Without education, girls cannot be self dependent. We, as organisations working for the right to education, are together in a collective effort to create awareness about the importance of education in ensuring self dependence and to make people realise that girls are not weaker than boys,” said Manish Singh from Centre for Social Research.

Safe School rallies were also organised in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur, Uttrakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh by Amnesty International India members.

In a country where millions drop out of school due to fear and apprehension; where cases of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse in schools are rampant and vastly underreported; where punishment meted out to the accused is often too light to provide a deterrent - Amnesty International India calls for the need to ensure the safety of the girl child in schools.

"Not only has my performance in school improved but I am determined to stay in school. Education has given me a burst of initiative and confidence", said Shaheen, a thirteen year old scholar with Abhas.

At this rally, as part of its postcard campaign, Amnesty International India also circulated blank postcards addressed to the Ministry of Women and Child Development, to be filled up by school children.

Amnesty International believes that stopping school-related violence requires challenging discrimination within schools and in the broader community. It demands listening to the voices of girls and taking into account their everyday experiences and needs.

This responsibility is not only shared teachers and school employees but others also have a part to play. Parents, community leaders and NGOs can support government and school efforts by participating in action plans, reporting violence and providing human rights-based training and services.