This blog was written by Mchungwani Rashid, Lucy Wakiaga and Alvin Kimani, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), Nairobi, Kenya.
No child should have to choose between getting an education and feeling safe. Yet millions make that choice every day. An estimated 246 million children experience violence in and around schools each year, with School-Related Gender-Based Violence (SRGBV) – ranging from bullying and verbal abuse, to sexual harassment and assault – continuing to undermine not only children’s wellbeing, but also their ability to learn and thrive.
Kenya’s experience offers an important lens for the global community. Over the past two decades, Kenya has made significant strides in strengthening its legal and policy framework to address SRGBV. What was once addressed primarily through child protection and criminal justice laws has evolved into a more comprehensive education-sector response, supported by school safety standards, teacher codes of conduct, re-entry guidelines for adolescent mothers and broader learner protection policies. Collectively, these measures establish schools as duty bearers responsible for creating safe and inclusive learning environments.
On paper, Kenya has established a robust policy and regulatory framework that aligns with global commitments to protect children and promote gender equality in education. However, the persistence of SRGBV underscores that strong policies alone do not automatically translate into safer learning environments. In Kenya, prevention efforts are supported by a range of school-level mechanisms, including learner clubs, codes of conduct, anonymous reporting systems, teacher training and multi-sector referral pathways. The existence of these mechanisms is an important step forward, but their effectiveness depends on how consistently they are implemented. In practice, disparities in institutional capacity, staff training and familiarity with existing guidelines continue to shape outcomes across schools. Some schools have made important strides by adopting whole-school approaches that embed SRGBV prevention into teaching and learning, school leadership, learner participation and community engagement. However, many others, particularly those in under-resourced, rural or marginalised settings, continue to face significant challenges in translating policy into day-to-day practice.
This disparity reflects a broader lesson from Kenya and other countries: strong legal and policy frameworks, while necessary, are not sufficient to eliminate SRGBV. Success ultimately depends on the systems and enabling conditions that support implementation. Adequate financing, institutional capacity, trained personnel, effective leadership and cross-sector coordination all influence whether policies move beyond paper commitments to meaningful action.
Equally important are the social and cultural contexts in which these policies operate. Deeply entrenched gender norms, stigma, fear of retaliation and a culture of silence continue to discourage disclosure and reporting, particularly in cases of sexual violence. Without trusted, survivor-centred reporting and response mechanisms, even the most well-designed policies and accountability structures risk falling short of their intended impact.
These implementation challenges are often exacerbated by inequality. Schools in rural areas, informal settlements and crisis-affected contexts frequently operate with fewer trained teachers, limited access to counselling and psychosocial support services, and weak referral and child protection systems. As a result, the learners most at risk of violence are often those with the least access to effective prevention and response mechanisms.
Despite these challenges, evidence points to several strategies that consistently improve outcomes.
First, prevention efforts are most effective when they adopt a whole-school approach. Isolated interventions have limited impact, whereas integrated strategies that combine teacher capacity building, learner empowerment, positive and gender-responsive pedagogy, community engagement and robust accountability mechanisms create safer and more inclusive learning environments. When learners have trusted avenues to report concerns and educators are equipped to respond appropriately, schools are better positioned to prevent and address SRGBV.
Second, data must drive action. National surveys and research have been instrumental in exposing the scale and nature of SRGBV, but their value lies in informing decision-making. Disaggregated, timely and locally-relevant data enable governments and schools to identify vulnerabilities, allocate resources effectively, and design targeted interventions that respond to context-specific needs.
Third, sustainable progress depends on strong implementation systems. Policies require adequate financing, capable institutions, continuous teacher development, effective school leadership, functioning child protection and referral mechanisms, and coordinated action across education, health, justice and social protection sectors. Without these enabling conditions, even the strongest policy frameworks struggle to achieve their intended impact.
Kenya’s experience offers a lesson that extends well beyond its borders. The next phase of progress on SRGBV is not about drafting more policies but about ensuring that existing commitments are consistently implemented and adequately resourced. This means investing in institutions, strengthening cross-sector collaboration and addressing the social norms and power imbalances that allow violence to persist.
Kenya’s journey demonstrates that meaningful change is possible, but it requires sustained commitment. Policies can establish the vision, yet it is an effective implementation that transforms schools into safe, inclusive spaces where every child can learn and thrive. For countries committed to ending violence in education, the challenge – and the opportunity – is to move beyond policy commitments and make safety a lived reality for every learner.
