Hounded for being different

Harrowing stories of rape as a tool to 'correct' sexual orientation and identity, physical violence and verbal abuse, systemic oppression, intolerance and bullying by teachers, peers and family, define and scar the lives of the majority of young Namibians whose sexual identification and orientation differ from the heterosexual norms accepted by society.

A 2017 study authored by Anthony Brown, a Namibian-born education lecturer at the University of Johannesburg, found “the negative and violent experiences of learners, coupled with the passivity of teachers and school management to respond to such acts, often led to depression, suicidal thoughts and traumatic stress.”

Yesterday Brown, one of the facilitators of a three-day roundtable discussion on strengthening and addressing the implementation of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) in Namibian schools, said the issue of widespread discrimination and harassment experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and questioning (LGBTIQ) youth in schools is still largely swept under the carpet.

He warned that remaining silent about issues of sexuality and gender has multiple harmful ripple effects on individuals and society.



Stories of rape, injustice

Justin, who identifies as male, said he not only experienced frequent bullying and discrimination at school, but eventually ran away from home when his parents authorised an uncle to rape him in order to “correct” his sexual identity.

He was consistently harassed in school by fellow learners and teachers.





“When you are around other kids, you feel you are not normal. You are suffocated, you don't feel you belong.”

He said he had nowhere to turn to report the frequent bullying, and said even teachers mocked him in class.

“A teacher once called me a 'moffie', and told me I don't belong in the school, that I should go somewhere else.”

Alfred said he learned to be quiet at school to avoid attention and discrimination, but still experienced frequent harassment and bullying.

He eventually dropped out of school after completing grade 10, but returned the next year after a teacher, whose brother was gay, reached out and provided support.

Brown described aspects of his school years as a nightmare.

He warned that Namibia continues to face the same high level of discrimination against LGBTIQ communities as it did generations ago, and said unless the issue was dealt with at school level it would continue to have a detrimental effect on the adult lives of many people.



Change the status quo

In a statement prepared by education permanent secretary Sanet Steenkamp, and read on her behalf by Julius Nghifikwa, she said many young people continue to be isolated and at risk of violence and harassment despite the progressive policies in place.

“Every student deserves to study in a school where they feel respected, valued and encouraged to develop his or her full potential. Unfortunately, many students who are LGBTIQ become targets of discrimination, bullying, harassment and intimidation in our schools.”

Steenkamp said it was time to reflect on how to ensure that learners who do not conform to a heterosexual identity, and are traumatised by harassment and stigmatisation, are not left behind.

“Schools are not merely sites for the learning of academic subjects but learners are also educated about the possibilities and limitations of sexual identities and expression as seen in the Namibian Life Skills Syllabus,” stated the organisers of the three-day event: Out-Right-Namibia, Positive Vibes Namibia, the Women's Leadership Centre and Lifeline/ChildLine Namibia.

The Namibian school curriculum policy documents are explicit on the teaching and learning of non-normative sexualities, but many schools and educators have not responded to these policies, and most LGBTIQ children are still forced to keep their sexual identity and orientation secret.

“The effect of this invisibility means that they become isolated, further marginalised and vulnerable to prejudice and attack.”

Needs to be better

The discussion is aimed at strengthening comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) in the school curriculum.

The workshop also aims to identify strategies to strengthen pre- and in-service teacher training to respond to the curriculum statements on sexual and gender diversity.

Further, delegates aim to identify medium- and long-term strategies to create safe, enabling and inclusive learning environments for all learners, in addition to establishing a multi-sectoral approach for the implementation of CSE education.

Jean-Pierre Ilboudo, director of Unesco Namibia, explained that when delivered well, CSE promotes health and well-being, respect for human rights and gender equality, and empowers children and young people to lead safe and productive lives.

He said CSE needs to be “high quality, age appropriate and evidence based”.

The deputy director in the education ministry's HIV/Aids management unit, Julius Nghifikwa, emphasised that widespread intolerance against gender and sexual minorities needs to be addressed beyond school curriculums, in order to foster large-scale societal attitude changes.

He said although policies for inclusive education are in place, they come up against the barrier of deeply rooted fears.

“If we try to fight this only with policies, but the community does not accept this, we will lose the battle.”

JANA-MARI SMITH