ArticleBMC public health2025
A descriptive phenomenological study of school-related gender-based violence: lived experiences of symbolic violence, harassment, and systemic complicity in a mixed secondary school in Nairobi, Kenya.
Article in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
backgroundSchool-related gender-based violence (SRGBV) affects students' mental health, academic performance, and overall well-being. This study explored the lived experiences of adolescents facing SRGBV in a mixed secondary school in Nairobi County, examining the mechanisms through which gendered violence is perceived to be perpetuated and normalized. METHODOLOGY: A qualitative descriptive phenomenological approach was employed. Data were collected through two separate focus group discussions (one with six girls, one with six boys), comprising twelve Form 1 students aged 14-17 years (median = 15), who had joined secondary school two months before data collection. Discussions were audio-recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed using Braun and Clarke's six-phase framework, with manual coding to ensure iterative engagement with the data.
findingsParticipants perceived a pervasive culture of power imbalances and SRGBV within the school. They described older male students as physically excluding and verbally silencing younger peers, and coercive sexual behaviors as becoming normalized. Custodial figures, including teachers and parents, were described as engaging in survivor-blaming, fostering a culture of silence that reinforced gender hierarchies. Peer dynamics also shaped experiences, with some older female students reinforcing patriarchal norms and pressuring younger girls to conform. These interactions were perceived to contribute to psychosocial harm, including fear, isolation, mistrust of authority, and emotional withdrawal.
conclusionIn this school, participants described SRGBV as operating through interwoven structural and cultural mechanisms, with symbolic violence central to the internalization of harm and reproduction of inequalities. While these insights may resonate with wider patterns, they remain context-specific and exploratory. Addressing SRGBV requires interventions targeting custodial and peer complicity and the cultural normalization of violence. A holistic approach that combines structural reform, cultural transformation, and psychological care is critical to fostering equitable educational spaces.
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