This thesis reports on a study on human rights education and values of the girl–child in the Eastleigh community in Nairobi Kenya. The investigation indicated that her right to education is marginalised and that in the many cases cultural and religious beliefs dominate the need to equal access to education. This research identified perceived factors that may influence the infusion of human rights education and values in the teaching–learning practice of selected secondary schools in the Eastleigh community, and propose possible curriculum guidelines that are feasible to foster the education of the girl–child. The researcher explores the perception of teachers and students in four selected schools (code named A, B, C, D) in the community and analyses the extent of gender–equality in the school curriculum. Using a qualitative research approach that employed the phenomenological method of enquiry, face–to–face interviews were conducted with 20 teachers in four secondary schools, five in each school. Questionnaires were served on 200 girl–students of Grades 11 and 12, fifty per school selected using a purposeful sampling method. The curriculum in selected subjects of the secondary schools was analysed. The analyses of all the research instruments led to the discovery of the factors influencing the infusion of human rights education and values in the teaching–learning of the selected schools. Top on the list of these factors are the problems of teacher–student ignorance of human rights education and values. Other factors are gender–fair deficiency in the school curriculum, school–slum environments and combined religio–cultural dilemmas that place constraints on the educational environment of girl–children in the multicultural community. To foster the education of the girl–child, thirteen curriculum guidelines clustered under three broad groups are proposed. Firstly, under the modified curriculum content, subjects that project human rights education and values need to be made compulsory for all students, though at different class levels. Subjects with low or no gender–fair objectives need to be modified in order that human rights education and values could be taught across the school curriculum. Secondly, there is the need for context–relevant curriculum planning that embraces cultural and religious issues and communicating values in the schooling system. Thirdly, a democratic school atmosphere is the product of curriculum efforts that is geared towards training genderresponsive teachers, ensuring gender equality and promoting extracurricular activities favouring multicultural awareness and respect among students. This research contributes to the development of a curriculum engaged in advancing human rights education and values of the girl–child especially in patriarchal urban settings of East–Africa. It draws attention to the often neglected educational empowerment of the girl–child to foster her role and to provide opportunities in a contemporary global environment. / Thesis (PhD (Teaching and Learning))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

This thesis reports on a study on human rights education and values of the girl–child in the Eastleigh community in Nairobi Kenya. The investigation indicated that her right to education is marginalised and that in the many cases cultural and religious beliefs dominate the need to equal access to education. This research identified perceived factors that may influence the infusion of human rights education and values in the teaching–learning practice of selected secondary schools in the Eastleigh community, and propose possible curriculum guidelines that are feasible to foster the education of the girl–child. The researcher explores the perception of teachers and students in four selected schools (code named A, B, C, D) in the community and analyses the extent of gender–equality in the school curriculum. Using a qualitative research approach that employed the phenomenological method of enquiry, face–to–face interviews were conducted with 20 teachers in four secondary schools, five in each school. Questionnaires were served on 200 girl–students of Grades 11 and 12, fifty per school selected using a purposeful sampling method. The curriculum in selected subjects of the secondary schools was analysed. The analyses of all the research instruments led to the discovery of the factors influencing the infusion of human rights education and values in the teaching–learning of the selected schools. Top on the list of these factors are the problems of teacher–student ignorance of human rights education and values. Other factors are gender–fair deficiency in the school curriculum, school–slum environments and combined religio–cultural dilemmas that place constraints on the educational environment of girl–children in the multicultural community. To foster the education of the girl–child, thirteen curriculum guidelines clustered under three broad groups are proposed. Firstly, under the modified curriculum content, subjects that project human rights education and values need to be made compulsory for all students, though at different class levels. Subjects with low or no gender–fair objectives need to be modified in order that human rights education and values could be taught across the school curriculum. Secondly, there is the need for context–relevant curriculum planning that embraces cultural and religious issues and communicating values in the schooling system. Thirdly, a democratic school atmosphere is the product of curriculum efforts that is geared towards training genderresponsive teachers, ensuring gender equality and promoting extracurricular activities favouring multicultural awareness and respect among students. This research contributes to the development of a curriculum engaged in advancing human rights education and values of the girl–child especially in patriarchal urban settings of East–Africa. It draws attention to the often neglected educational empowerment of the girl–child to foster her role and to provide opportunities in a contemporary global environment. / Thesis (PhD (Teaching and Learning))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

"Children's participation in armed conflict is one of the worst [forms] of child labour and a violation in itself. It is an extensive violation of international humanitarian and human rights law. There is increasing awareness about the variety of roles played by girls in fighting forces. They are abducted and forced to be sexual slaves, cooks, [to] clean, act as porters, loot, and [be] 'wives' to combatants. Notwithstanding, Veale observes that there are still a few gender-based issues of the differential experiences of male and female children who have been involved in military units. Although they play all these roles, they have received scanty attention during the reintegration process as opposed to male child soldiers. Mckay and her colleagues argue that [the] majority of reports, internaitonal campaigns, and initiatives continue to use the generic term 'child soldiers' which most often mean 'boys'. They do not identify differential impacts for boys and girls before, during or after armed conflicts. Mazurana found in another study that between 1990 and 2000, underaged girls participated in armed conflicts in a minimum of 32 countries as child soldeirs or military support forces. ... Northern Uganda qualifies [as] a case study because it has been in conflict between 1996 [and] 2006. It is estimated that there are 70 to 80 percent of child combatants with girls making up 30 percent. Disarmament and demobilisation is carried out by Uganda's People Defence Force (UPDF) working together with some United Nations (UN) humanitarian bodies, then NGOs and community leaders in turn work on the reintegration of the returnees. However, the reintegration process in Uganda is a-typical when compared to that of Sierra Leone, and most often does not take into consideration the special needs of female child soldiers. ... My focus will therefore be on Northern Uganda, but reference will be made to Sierra Leone as precedent where the context permits. This will be relevant for any reintegration procudure that Uganda adopts after the war. ... Chapter one: introduction and background. Chapter two: investigating the recruitment and impact of conflict on child soldiers in general and female child soldiers in particular. This chapter will be divided into two parts. Part one sets the stage by giving a brief account of the conflict in Northern Uganda and Sierra Leone. Part two identifies the significant environmental factors, but not sufficient conditions that cause children in general, and girls in particular, to join armed groups and the impact it has on female child soldiers. Chapter three: legal guarantee of the right to reintegration - by provision and implication. This chapter outlines and analyses treaties that have influenced and circumscribed the policies and practices for the reintegration of female child soldiers. It also looks at those that provide for reintegration by implication. This chapter will also examine the rights-based approach as base for reintegration processes. Case law will be included. Chapter four: comprehensive analysis of effective socio-economic reintegration of female child soldiers. This chapter will examine the factors that influence successful reintegration. It will portray the half-baked approach of reintegration that is obvious in the case study. The role of international agencies, NGOs, civil society and other actors will be discussed as a platform for successful reintegration. Furthermore, some decisions at the Special Court of Sierra Leone (SCSL) will be discussed. Chapter five: conclusion and recommendations." -- Introduction. / Thesis (LLM (Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa)) -- University of Pretoria, 2006. / Prepared under the supervision of Mr. Angelo Matusse at the Faculdade de Direito, Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Mozambique / http://www.chr.up.ac.za/academic_pro/llm1/dissertations.html / Centre for Human Rights / LLM

This thesis examines the experiences of girl child soldiers in Uganda in order to explore the gender gaps that exist in post-conflict programming and to engender meaningful policy solutions that target these gaps. This thesis uses a gender lens to analyze the challenges faced by Ugandan girls and to explore how entrenched gender norms feed into a singular narrative of conflict – dangerous boys and traumatized girls – that renders particular combatants – and their unique needs – invisible. Adopting a feminist methodology that prioritizes the importance of girls’ narratives and self-perceptions, the author argues that girl child soldiers must be meaningfully included in the design and implementation of programming aimed at serving their needs. A participatory action research methodology is presented as a promising way forward. It can help address specific gendered challenges in the post-conflict environment, while also recognizing and drawing upon the resiliency and strengths of the girl child soldiers themselves.

This thesis examines the experiences of girl child soldiers in Uganda in order to explore the gender gaps that exist in post-conflict programming and to engender meaningful policy solutions that target these gaps. This thesis uses a gender lens to analyze the challenges faced by Ugandan girls and to explore how entrenched gender norms feed into a singular narrative of conflict – dangerous boys and traumatized girls – that renders particular combatants – and their unique needs – invisible. Adopting a feminist methodology that prioritizes the importance of girls’ narratives and self-perceptions, the author argues that girl child soldiers must be meaningfully included in the design and implementation of programming aimed at serving their needs. A participatory action research methodology is presented as a promising way forward. It can help address specific gendered challenges in the post-conflict environment, while also recognizing and drawing upon the resiliency and strengths of the girl child soldiers themselves.

My mini-dissertation gives the autobiography of Talent Nyathi, who was born in rural Zimbabwe in 1961. Talent was unwillingly conscripted into the Zimbabwean Liberation Struggle. On her return to Zimbabwe, she has worked tirelessly for the education of her compatriots. Talent's story casts light on subject-formation in conditions of difficulty, suffering and victimization. Doubly oppressed by her race and gender, Talent has nevertheless shown a remarkable capacity for self-empowerment and the empowerment of others. Her story needs to be heard because it will inspire other women and other S/subjects and because it is a corrective to both the notions of a heroic Struggle and the `victim' stereotype of Africa. Together with Talent's autobiography, my mini-dissertation offers extensive notes that situate her life story in the context of contemporary postcolonial, literary and gender theory and further draws out the significance of her individual `history-from-below'. / English Studies / M.A.

Poverty has and will continue to precipitate enormous suffering for countless children in Zimbabwe. This study examines how the psychosocial effects of poverty affect the academic performance of the girl child. At the same time it identifies various policies and programmes designed to attenuate the negative effects of poverty on children. It is estimated that about seven out of ten families in Zimbabwe live in dire poverty because of political unrest, socioeconomic instability, economic and political sanctions, drought, environmental degradation, and HIV/AIDS. This study is informed by Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory, and the humanistic perspective. A qualitative phenomenological design was used with focus group discussions, interviews and observations as data-collection instruments, with fifteen (15) Form 2 girls, six (6) teachers, and three (3) headmasters in three secondary schools in Masvingo Province. The use of the phenomenological design helped to bring to the surface deep issues, and to make the voices of the girl children heard. The Tesch’s open coding method of data analysis was used to identify themes and categories. Findings from this study revealed that the majority of the families in Zimbabwe cannot afford even the basic human needs (food and non-food items) which are necessary to sustain life, thus adversely affecting the children’s health, and their emotional, physical, moral, social and academic achievements. This study also established that the girls’ academic performance is affected by household chores/child labour, financial constraints, a lack of motivation, early marriages, and the lack of food, as well as health issues and sanitation, delinquent behaviour, child abuse, prostitution, the long distances to and from school, stigmatisation and marginalisation. This study recommends early intervention programmes for children, and the sustainable development of mining, rural and urban communities. The government, and the families, should make basic education affordable to all children, irrespective of their gender. This study also recommends that the problems be addressed by the microsystems of the school, and of the families, and the neighbourhood mesosystems (linkages) and exosystems, as well as by the macro-systems (political, ideology). Collaborative work is also needed among Zimbabweans and all stakeholders to revisit the root causes of poverty. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

My mini-dissertation gives the autobiography of Talent Nyathi, who was born in rural Zimbabwe in 1961. Talent was unwillingly conscripted into the Zimbabwean Liberation Struggle. On her return to Zimbabwe, she has worked tirelessly for the education of her compatriots. Talent's story casts light on subject-formation in conditions of difficulty, suffering and victimization. Doubly oppressed by her race and gender, Talent has nevertheless shown a remarkable capacity for self-empowerment and the empowerment of others. Her story needs to be heard because it will inspire other women and other S/subjects and because it is a corrective to both the notions of a heroic Struggle and the `victim' stereotype of Africa. Together with Talent's autobiography, my mini-dissertation offers extensive notes that situate her life story in the context of contemporary postcolonial, literary and gender theory and further draws out the significance of her individual `history-from-below'. / English Studies / M.A.

Poverty has and will continue to precipitate enormous suffering for countless children in Zimbabwe. This study examines how the psychosocial effects of poverty affect the academic performance of the girl child. At the same time it identifies various policies and programmes designed to attenuate the negative effects of poverty on children. It is estimated that about seven out of ten families in Zimbabwe live in dire poverty because of political unrest, socioeconomic instability, economic and political sanctions, drought, environmental degradation, and HIV/AIDS. This study is informed by Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory, and the humanistic perspective. A qualitative phenomenological design was used with focus group discussions, interviews and observations as data-collection instruments, with fifteen (15) Form 2 girls, six (6) teachers, and three (3) headmasters in three secondary schools in Masvingo Province. The use of the phenomenological design helped to bring to the surface deep issues, and to make the voices of the girl children heard. The Tesch’s open coding method of data analysis was used to identify themes and categories. Findings from this study revealed that the majority of the families in Zimbabwe cannot afford even the basic human needs (food and non-food items) which are necessary to sustain life, thus adversely affecting the children’s health, and their emotional, physical, moral, social and academic achievements. This study also established that the girls’ academic performance is affected by household chores/child labour, financial constraints, a lack of motivation, early marriages, and the lack of food, as well as health issues and sanitation, delinquent behaviour, child abuse, prostitution, the long distances to and from school, stigmatisation and marginalisation. This study recommends early intervention programmes for children, and the sustainable development of mining, rural and urban communities. The government, and the families, should make basic education affordable to all children, irrespective of their gender. This study also recommends that the problems be addressed by the microsystems of the school, and of the families, and the neighbourhood mesosystems (linkages) and exosystems, as well as by the macro-systems (political, ideology). Collaborative work is also needed among Zimbabweans and all stakeholders to revisit the root causes of poverty. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

"This paper is therefore inspired to look at education with respect to girl children in Africa. This paper, by drawing inspriation from other settings, is also motivated by the need to find solutions on how best the rights of the girl child can be protected in conjuction with the educational policy of African countries. ... The study is divided into six chapters. Chapter one provides the context in which the study is set, the objectives of the study and its importance. Chapter two examines the importance of the right to education and in education and takes note of the issue of discrimination with respect to girl child education in Africa. In chapter three various international treaties that concern provisions on education and the discrimination factor as to gender are identified. Also in the international milieu, the role of international bodies in the effective and efficient insurance of girl child education is included. Chapter four examines on a regional level, the extent to which the African Commission has effectively monitored the provision of the African Chater. The African Children's Charter and the Draft Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women (the Draft Women's Protocol) in Africa are also discussed in relation to provisions in the African Charter and work done on girl child education by the African Commission. In this chapter, a comparative study is also done of instruments and the implementation mechanisms offered by the Inter-American and European systems to the African human rights system in terms of the girl child education. This is so because in terms of experience, jurisprudence and institutions, these systems are considered to be more advanced than the African human rights sytem. Finally chapter five discusses girl child education on a national level in Africa. This chapter focuses on the experiences of South Africa, Egypt and Cameroon. Educational policy and other national legislative instruments such as the constitutions of these countries are included. In the conclusion, the paper puts forward recommendations to assist new and old African democracies in advancing an administrative and political approach to the issue of discrimination with respect to girl child education." -- Chapter 1. / Prepared under the supervision of Dr. Enid Hill at the Department of Political Sciences, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, The American University in Cairo, Egypt / http://www.chr.up.ac.za/academic_pro/llm1/dissertations.html / Centre for Human Rights / LLM