Confronting a Hidden Crisis: GBV in Mali’s Schools and the Critical Role of Data-Driven Action
During the 2025 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV), Mali’s Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (FSEG) hosted a pivotal forum, shifting the national conversation from anecdote to evidence. Supported by the Project for Harmonizing and Improving Statistics in West and Central Africa (PHASAOC), the session tackled the pervasive issue of GBV in educational settings under the theme: “The responsible use of social media, a guarantee for the protection, promotion, and preservation of the cultural values of women and girls in Mali.” This gathering underscored a vital truth: effective prevention starts with understanding the precise scale and nature of the problem.
A Call for Documented Dialogue and Systemic Change
Co-chaired by Dr. Arouna Sougané, Director General of the National Institute of Statistics (INSTAT), and Professor Boubacar Sanogo, Dean of the FSEG, the event brought together students, educators, and researchers. Professor Sanogo framed the discussion as a catalyst for tangible action, urging students to transform awareness into advocacy and highlighting underutilized prevention mechanisms. Dr. Sougané established the foundational principle of the day: combating GBV requires a commitment to reliable data. He emphasized that only with accurate statistics can policies be effectively targeted, resources allocated wisely, and societal myths dispelled.
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The Stark Reality: Unveiling the Data on School-Based GBV
The INSTAT study presented provided the first clear, quantitative picture of GBV within Mali’s educational institutions. The headline figure is alarming: 27.3% of surveyed pupils and students reported experiencing at least one form of GBV. This means more than one in four young people in these environments has been victimized, creating a climate of fear that directly undermines the right to education and personal safety.
Regional Disparities Highlight Vulnerable Zones
The data revealed significant geographical inequalities in prevalence rates:
- Kayes Region (35.2%) and Sikasso Region (34.9%): Recorded the highest rates, suggesting potential socio-economic, cultural, or institutional factors that may increase vulnerability in these areas. Further investigation is needed to understand the drivers behind these elevated numbers.
- Koulikoro Region (19.4%): Showed the lowest prevalence, which could indicate more effective local prevention programs or reporting barriers that mask the true scale.
- Bamako District: While its percentage rate was not the highest, it reported the highest absolute number of cases (310 incidents), followed by Sikasso (238). This reflects both its large population and the possibly greater awareness or access to reporting channels in the capital.
Perpetrators: A Betrayal of Trust Within the Educational Community
Perhaps the most distressing finding concerns who commits the violence. The data shatters the notion of schools as universally safe havens:
- Classmates or School Friends (45%): Peer-to-peer violence is the most common, pointing to a critical need for anti-bullying programs, conflict resolution education, and the promotion of respectful relationships among students.
- Teachers (32.8%): The significant role of educators as perpetrators represents a profound abuse of power and trust. This necessitates urgent action on teacher training, codes of conduct, and safe, confidential reporting mechanisms that bypass school administration when needed.
- Others include friends outside school (9.7%), parents (5.7%), and strangers (3.6%).
The Forms of Violence: Physical and Emotional Toll
The study detailed the types of abuse suffered, which vary by region:
- Physical Assault (61.3% to 78.5%): Dominates across all regions, indicating that visible, bodily violence is a primary manifestation of GBV in schools.
- Emotional/Psychological Violence (44.2% to 61.6%): Remains extremely widespread, encompassing verbal abuse, humiliation, threats, and isolation. This form, while less visible, causes deep and lasting trauma.
- Sexual Violence: Rape was most frequently reported in Kayes (4.7%), while child marriages were more prevalent in Bamako District (2.6%) and Koulikoro (1.8%).
- Economic Violence: Denial of resources (e.g., school fees, materials) was notably high in Ségou (23.6%), a form of control that can force students, particularly girls, to drop out.
The Reporting Gap: Where Victims Turn and Why It Matters
The response data unveils a critical systemic shortcoming. Victims overwhelmingly rely on school administrations (762 cases), with far fewer reports going to health centers (371) or the police/gendarmerie (47). Most concerning is the near-total absence of reports to specialized One-Stop Centers, which are designed to provide integrated medical, psychological, legal, and social support.
This disparity highlights a dual failure: a lack of information within schools about these specialized services, and a potential lack of trust in external systems. It suggests that many cases are handled internally, where conflicts of interest may arise, especially when teachers or administrators are involved, and where victims may not receive the comprehensive care they need.
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From Data to Action: A Roadmap for Prevention and Support
The forum’s conclusions point to clear, actionable priorities:
- Data-Driven Advocacy: Continue rigorous, disaggregated data collection to monitor trends, identify hotspots, and measure the impact of interventions.
- Institutional Reform: Mandate comprehensive GBV training for all teachers and administrators, establish independent, confidential reporting channels, and formalize partnerships with One-Stop Centers and health services.
- Student Empowerment: Integrate age-appropriate GBV prevention, consent education, and digital citizenship into school curricula to address peer violence and the responsible use of social media.
- Public Awareness: Launch targeted campaigns to inform students, families, and communities about GBV, its consequences, and the full range of support services available, including underutilized One-Stop Centers.
The 2025 forum moved beyond simply highlighting a problem. By centering hard data, it provided Mali with the evidence base required to transform a culture of silence into a framework for accountability, support, and, ultimately, safer learning environments for all.