Caprights-VP

Voices of Freedom gave secondary school students in Alimosho a safe space to speak about the issues that affect them most: sexual violence and abuse, bullying, early and unwanted pregnancy, and menstruation. The project set out to tackle the social and institutional barriers that keep vulnerable young people, especially girls and students with disabilities, from learning safely. It worked with students, teachers, parents and education authorities so that change would continue after the project ended.

Understanding the challenge

Many young people in our target communities faced sexual violence, bullying and pressure towards juvenile delinquency, often in silence. Girls missed school during menstruation for lack of knowledge and sanitary supplies, and early pregnancy cut short their education. Teachers and counsellors had no shared guidance for responding to these cases.

What we do

Our Approach

1. Conducted a baseline assessment in 4 schools and selected 2 where impact would be greatest.
2. Launched the Voices of Freedom Platform, a student-led safe space that met regularly in each school.
3. Trained teachers and counsellors on sexual education and juvenile delinquency.
4. Introduced a Voices of Freedom suggestion box so shy students could raise concerns privately.
5. Ran sensitisation sessions on sexual violence and body rights, and on early and unwanted pregnancy.
6. Held menstrual hygiene outreach with chart reading and distribution of hygiene kits.
7. Ran a Say No to Bullying outreach, with students creating anti-bullying graffiti walls in their classrooms.
8. Developed, validated and printed two guidelines on sexual violence and juvenile delinquency.
9. Held a closing ceremony to recognise students and stakeholders, launch the guidelines and agree on continuity with schools.

Measuring change

Results and Impact

• Students who were once shy became confident speakers; parents and teachers reported the change.
• Students in both schools now know their rights and speak out against sexual violence and juvenile delinquency.
• School attendance records showed girls attending consistently during menstruation after the hygiene outreach.
• Schools reported a sharp fall in bullying after the anti-bullying outreach.
• No new cases of unwanted pregnancy were reported in the target schools after the sensitisation.
• Teachers and counsellors are better equipped to handle cases of sexual violence and delinquency.

Our progress

Project Milestones

A lasting legacy: two handbooks

The project produced two guidelines, one on sexual violence and one on juvenile delinquency, for students, teachers, counsellors and parents. They were handed over to both schools and to the Lagos State Education District I (Agege). The Education Board, which declined to partner with us at the start, adopted the guidelines, and they are being introduced across public schools in Alimosho LGA.

Major Partnerships

The project attracted support from FIDA Nigeria (Lagos branch). and the Agege Education Board requested a partnership to pilot the model in public schools. CAPRIGHTS-VP took part in Voice linking and learning events with other grantees.

Schools

2 secondary schools (baseline assessment in 4)

Students Reached

200 (114 girls, 86 boys), aged 10–15, including 3 students with disabilities

Also Reached

Teachers, school counsellors, school authorities and Parent–Teacher Associations

Looking forward

The Road Ahead

Voices of Freedom was CAPRIGHTS-VP&amp;amp;amp;apos;s first major grant and laid the foundation for our later school-based child protection work. Its safe-space model lives on in the Child Rights Ambassadors Forums of our Protect Child Domestic Workers programme.

With appreciation

Our Funders

VOICE

An initiative of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, managed by Oxfam Novib and Hivos.

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Voices of Freedom Project