Combating Sexual Abuse in Congolese Schools

As most Congolese youth under the age of 30, Jenny Tuabu and Filston Koba, from Lubumbashi, Katanga, have grown up with conflict and instability. In their country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), sexual- and gender-based violence are a significant humanitarian concern and schools are not spared from this type of violence. Refusing the status quo, Jenny and Filston were ready to get involved and make a difference for their school, for their community, and for their country. Their goal was clear: raise awareness and engage with the Congolese authorities to stop school sex abuse

photo credit: Filston Koba

In the DRC, the phenomenon of “sexually transmitted grades” is unfortunately common. Unscrupulous teachers or professors pressure female students to trade sexual favors for good grades. The victims are often unaware of their rights and of the remedies available. As a result, most of the perpetrators remain unpunished and abused youth, who report cases only to their parents, often withdraw from school, preferring to sacrifice their education to avoid harassment.

To combat the issue, Jenny and Filston decided to contact Search’s production team for Tosalel’ango, an innovative reality TV show followed by two million people in Kinshasa. Supported by USAID, this show aims to give a voice to youth and bring about social change in the DRC. 98% of the viewers feel that the series leads to positive change in their country.

The eighth episode of Tosalel’ango, filmed entirely in Lubumbashi, features Jenny, Filston and their friends. The show offered victims the opportunity to tell their stories and to testify about being sexually-harassed by professors. Their testimonies triggered a reaction of the local child protection brigade, which immediately began an investigation. Jenny and Filston decided to engage further with the authorities of the province and visited, with a SFCG camera crew, the Provincial Minister of Education. He pledged to personally follow up on the issue.

After the production of this episode and the positive response of local authorities, Jenny and Filston hope that the airing of the show, on the first week of November 2010, will contribute to the engagement of authorities at the national level. The impact of the episode should be especially significant for youth all over the DRC: 21% of the 18-24 year old Congolese watch Tosalel’ango. Thanks to the show, they will be more aware of their rights and of the protection mechanisms that exist in their country if they become victims of sexual violence in school.