This study attempts to broaden the knowledge and understanding of issues of
sexual harassment experienced by girls in a high school in Lesotho. It does this
by focussing on Form D girls in one high school in Maseru, here referred as Fora
High School; and consequently how they cope with it.
The study locates itself as concerned with gender justice. It assumes that it
constitutes a discursive position that contrasts and opposes dominant patriarchal
discourses. It sets out also to establish to what extent sexual harassment
occurred and how it was perceived by those that experience it. It is a qualitative
study that employs narratives and observation as the research methods. To
achieve this, a module that introduced concepts of sexuality and sexual
harassment preceded the data collection.
Although the study was confined to Form D girls and did not include all the girls
in this school, findings reveal that girls in this class experienced and observed
sexual harassment in this school and more specifically in the classroom than
anywhere else. Teachers were the major perpetrators of sexual harassment.
Studying the narratives presented as data, physical harassment was the most
frequently reported form of harassment. When such behaviours are reported,
teachers ignore it and this suggests that they 'normalise' sexual harassment and
thus reinforce dominant patriarchal discourses of hegemonic masculinity.
Based on the participants' narratives and also arguing from the discursive
position of gender justice, recommendations are suggested for this school and
others to introduce sexuality and sex education in an attempt to make schools
more equitable places for girls. It proposes that educational policies and
curricular development more generally be revisited and to ensure that they are
addressing sexuality education and therefore sexual violence particularly. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, Durban, 2002.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ukzn/oai:http://researchspace.ukzn.ac.za:10413/3210 |
| Date | January 2002 |
| Creators | Motsabi-Tsabi, Ntseliseng. |
| Contributors | Prinsloo, Jeanne. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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