Addressing Gender-based Violence through Life Orientation | Western Cape Education Department
Addressing Gender-based Violence through Life Orientation

Addressing Gender-based Violence through Life Orientation

19 August 2020

The Western Cape Education Department hosted a webinar to focus on how education can play an important role in combatting gender-based violence

The event on 4 August 2020 was organised by the Ismail Teladia, Senior Curriculum Planner for Life Orientation (LO).

Teladia said the idea was to highlight the fact that gender-based violence is covered in the LO curriculum from Grade 4 to Grade 12 and if qualified LO teachers are implementing this curriculum at all our schools, education will play a pivotal role in combatting these violations.

This was the first subject specific webinar organised within the WCED. The panel consisted of Teladia; Siphokazi Jonas, writer, performer and poet and founder of Wrestling Dawn Arts; Katie Modrau, the A21 Campaign’s South African Manager; and Karen Walstra, Educational Consultant: Evolve School. 

Haroon Mahomed, Chief Director: Curriculum Management and Teacher Development, was the moderator of the webinar and Karen Dudley, Director: Curriculum General Education and Training, contributed to the discussions. 
The webinar was hosted with technical support by Joel Kaplan, Founder: Thought Africa, with Eurica Beukes and Jamiel Landers, LO Subject Advisors, giving further support.

A total of 456 individuals registered for the webinar and more than 1 700 participants had viewed the webinar. Registrations came from as far afield as the University of Hull in the United Kingdom and Jawaharlal Nehru University in India. 

Teladia focused on GBV topics in the Life Orientation curriculum from Grade 4 to Grade 12. He spoke about teachers being essential in addressing this issue through their language, values, attitude and behaviour. They need to be role models for the learners.
Jonas spoke about the importance of language and how girls and women are humiliated and ridiculed through the spoken word. She shared two poems to illustrate this.

Modrau addressed the issue of modern day slavery where women are subjected to violence in the home. GBV is the baseline activity for human trafficking which inevitably involves girls. She also spoke about the campaigns being organised by A21 internationally and locally. 

Walstra spoke about to social media as the gateway to GBV. The Online Safety Curriculum is important to address the issue of cyber-bullying and sexual grooming. 

The LO department is very excited about this webinar and plans to organise future webinars on subject choices for Grade 9 learners, teachers and parents and implementing Physical Education during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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