Chapter 10: Development of multi-disciplinary model for OVC
4.4 CATEGORIES OF VULNERABLE CHILDREN IN SCHOOLS
4.4.3 Learners exposed to violence
The South African society, and especially the sectors of society that are more challenged for one or other reason, is characterised by violence, ranging from common assault, various forms of abuse, to rape, and even murders (Brankovic, 2019). This evidence can be attributed to several factors, partially stemming from patriarchical beliefs that many people still hold on to, unemployment, poverty, and inequality as well as the unique historical past of discrimination along racial and tribal groups (Brankovic, 2019). Violence against children can include all forms of physical, mental or emotional, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation including sexual abuse, which result in actual or potential harm to the child’s health and threaten their survival (World Health Organization [WHO], 2020; DSD, 2005). Violence ranges from mild cases to severe cases such as severe injury, which may lead to death.
South African schools are no exception to the prevalence of violence. Learners commit or experience various forms of violence at school, which varies from common assault to extreme cases, where teachers or learners are killed in the sight of other learners.
Because of the varied nature of violence found at schools, the researcher divided this category into subcategories.
4.4.3.1 Learners who are bullies/bullied
Bullying can be defined as any abuse of real or perceived power that targets minors or learners who are either physically smaller, have one or other disability or physical difference such as bigger ears, nose, an unusual colour hair, and so forth . Bullying can include actions such as physical attacks, purposeful alienation, spreading false rumours, verbal abuse and various forms of emotional mistreatment (Laas & Boezaart, 2014; Ngidi
& Moletsane, 2018). Bullying is a form of violence, which commonly occurs in schools, yet, it is often overlooked. Many cases of bullying are not reported to school authorities nor to parents, which lead to many victims suffering in silence (Laas & Boezaart, 2014;
Ngidi & Moletsane, 2018).
The impact of bullying is so severe that it leaves children with psychosocial issues that are difficult to deal with later in life. Some children who were victims resort to dropping out of school or even committing suicide (Laas & Boezaart, 2014; Ngidi& Moletsane, 2018).
In many cases, children who are repetitively bullied at school will also automatically find themselves being bullied at work – or they turn into bullies as a form of “revenge”. In this study, both the perpetrator of bullying and the bullied are regarded as vulnerable, in the sense that those who are bullying other children also have psychosocial issues that need to be dealt with. Literature indicated that bullying is commonly characterised by the following (Laas & Boezaart, 2014; Anderson, 2007):
. An imbalance of power: Cases of bullying are characterised by an imbalance of power, where the perpetrator is bigger, has a stronger physique and is/feels more powerful than the victim.
Repeated actions: Bullying behaviour occurs repetitively over a period of time.
Intentional actions: In all cases, the bullying behaviour is intended to harm or intimidate the victim.
Unequal level of effect: Bullying behaviour produces a different effect among those involved. The victim of bullying experiences a high level of emotional stress, while the perpetrator experiences a sense of power and domination (Hlophe, Morojele, & Motsa, 2017; Laas & Boezaart, 2014).
The sad part of this phenomenon is that there are quite a number of cases, where the victim is the girl learner and the bully are the male teachers who bully the learner, because of the learner’s refusal to give sexual favours. Bullying signals a deeper problem.A child who bullies others may be expressing their own vulnerability, which is an indicator that
they need an intervention (Jopling & Vincent, 2016) to identify their specific problem that causes them to bully. However, the scope of this study does not allow the discussion of this phenomenon at length.
4.4.3.2 Learners who are members/not members of gangs
A gang is a group of three or more individuals, who engage in criminal activity and identify themselves with a common name or sign. Gang membership brings with it a host of negative consequences that disrupt the normal course of youth development (Parnell, 2013). Gang culture has permeated many schools and in most cases, it is the Grade 7 to Grade 9 learners, who are likely to be exposed to gang activities. Research evidence attributes gang culture to poverty, inequality, unemployment, and dysfunctional families and communities (Mncube & Madikizela-Madiya, 2014).
Young people may be part of a gang group or be victimised by them if they are not members. Learners who are exposed to gangs live in fear (Mguzulwa & Gxubane 2019, Parnell, 2013). Though there is always a call from the DBE through the initiative of the Safe Schools programme, many learners continue to be exposed to this kind of subversive culture and are therefore living in fear. There are cases where rival gangs attack each other and even kill a rival on the school grounds or near their schools (Mguzulwa & Gxubane, 2019; Parnell, 2013).
The presence of gangs in schools signals a deeper societal problem that needs serious attention and intervention (Mncube & Madikizela-Madiya, 2014). The failure of programmes to deal with the causal factor of this problem means that this culture will continue to be present and even escalate. Gang culture produces different effects on those who are members of certain gangs and those who are not members (Mguzulwa &
Gxubane, 2019; Mncube & Madikizela-Madiya, 2014).
Those who are not members may be coerced or forced to join, and may be marginalised and attacked verbally or physically if they refuse to do so. Learners who are part of gangs
take part in a wide range of gang activities, which include drug abuse and dealing in drugs, robberies, extortion, and even gang rape and gang murders, which lead them to be in trouble with the law (Mguzulwa& Gxubane, 2019) and robs them of being hired for any meaningful job later in life, because of their criminal record.
4.4.3.3 Learners exposed to domestic violence
Patriarchy has centuries long history in SA’s society. In such society, most men believe they are entitled to rule over women: their wives and daughters, and other women. They do not think it is wrong to physically control, use or abuse women when they decide to do so (Shore, 2019). In their view, women are inferior and if they marry them, then they can totally control them as they “own” them. Many black African men believe that if they paid lobola, then the wife becomes their property (Montle, 2020). Children growing up in violent homes may regularly witness parental violence and may also personally be the victims of physical abuse. To them, violence is a norm, a way to deal with or respond to any conflict.
They may suffer neglect from such parents, who are focused on their violent partner or are unresponsive to their children because of their own fears of further violence or threatened consequences (Kimball, 2015; Shore, 2019).
Most learners who grew up in such homes often have feelings of low self-esteem and general feelings of despondency and sadness (Kimball, 2015). Many incorrectly believe that they are the cause of the conflicts or the violence, that it is their fault, so they feel guilty, especially so if one of their parents is severely hurt or even killed by the other one, or if one parent leaves the violent partner. They have anger issues and most resort to negative coping mechanisms (Kimball, 2015; Pingley, 2017). They are at risk of failing to cope with the demands of academic work, as they have psychosocial issues. It has become very common for learners of this category to repeat grades. Literature states that children learn much by imitating adults (Harrison, 2021; Pingley, 2017). As such, children who grow up where violence takes place, have a higher probability of becoming violent children or adults themselves, as they think that violence is an acceptable, normal form of behaviour (Harrison, 2021; Kimball, 2015).
In rural areas, where traditional beliefs are still strongly adhered to, male learners are still raised with the belief that they are there to control and dictate, to be served by girls/women, and they possess feelings of superiority over girls. It is the reason why in most rural schools, it is still common for boys to assault girl learners. Often in the rural areas, male teachers also expect girl learners to clean their homes or cook for them.
4.4.3.4 Learners exposed to community protests and violence
Violence is common in many communities and ranges from community protests, which end up being violent, to mob justice, where community members take the law into their own hands when dealing with perpetrators of crime (Brankovic, 2019; Khumalo, 2015).
The sad reality about these protests is that in some cases, learners are coerced to take part in these activities and are sometimes incarcerated for having committed violent actions.
Poor service delivery protests, where community members show their dissatisfaction, commonly end up with the burning of community resources such as schools and libraries (Kgatle, 2018). What happened recently in Vuwani and Malamulele is a clear example of what is happening in these rural communities (Kgatle, 2018). The recent civil unrest in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal has also clearly shown how violent behaviour has become part of society. When community members destroy community assets such as schools, they do not consider the effects of their actions on the learners.
If their demands are not quickly resolved, learners can spend several months without being able to go to school (Kgatle, 2018). This is a sad state as many learners are those who are poor, socially and economically excluded and disadvantaged. By destroying the basic infrastructure in these regions worsens the situation these rural or poorer communities are confronted by. When clinics, schools and shops are destroyed, buses torched and roads damaged by burning tyres, it is the very communities that destroyed them that will suffer even more, as the funds are lacking to rebuild those structures.
In the Maleboho East Circuit, learners were forced to be absent from school for a whole week because of community protests in 2018 and again in early 2019 (Blouberg Today, 2019). The organisers abuse school children by using them to receive a speedy response from the government regarding their grievances. Not only does this destabilise the children’s learning process and compromise their right to learning in a stable environment, it also does not speed up service delivery. Instead, it actually results in retrograde developments as funds need to be reallocated to rebuilding destroyed structures. These conflict conditions are not conducive to effective learning. When learners go back to school, their minds are negatively affected by what they experienced, and effective learning cannot take place. In the ecosystem framework, one cannot separate learners from what is happening in their families and their wider communities.