Fatal Remedies: Child Sexual Abuse and Education Policy in Liberia by Jessi Hanson-Defusco Bachelor of Arts, Colorado State
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Title Page Fatal Remedies: Child Sexual Abuse and Education Policy in Liberia by Jessi Hanson-DeFusco Bachelor of Arts, Colorado State University, 2003 Master of Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education, 2007 Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Pittsburgh 2020 Committee Page UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS This dissertation was presented by Jessi Hanson-DeFusco It was defended on March 3, 2020 and approved by Louis A. Picard, Professor, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs Paul J. Nelson, Professor, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs Maureen McClure, Professor, School of Education and Institute for International Studies in Education Gilberto Mendez, PhD and Education Consultant, University of New Mexico Thesis Advisor/Dissertation Director: William Dunn, Professor, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs ii Copyright © by Jessi Hanson-DeFusco 2020 iii Abstract Fatal Remedies: Child Sexual Abuse and Education Policy in Liberia Jessica Hanson-DeFusco, PhD University of Pittsburgh, 2020 One of the unintended consequences of international education policy is the misunderstanding of the relationship between child sexual abuse and girls’ schooling. Development research indicates that education is associated with decreased rates of early childhood marriage. Yet education also exposes female pupils to sexual violence within schools. Nevertheless, international agencies and national governments are often unaware that the very policy of putting young girls in the classroom may also expose them to various forms of child sexual abuse. The relationship between schooling and sexual violence has not been well- established in development research. The field research reported in this dissertation addresses this deficiency in the literature by examining the joint-effects of education and the safety of the school environment on female child sexual abuse. Applying a mixed-methods approach, the study analyses results of a 2018 field-study using a stratified-cluster sample of 715 young Liberian women and 493 of their parents. A key finding of the study is the unintended consequence that sending girls to school is linked to nearly 35 percent of students being statutorily raped. While most child rape offenders work outside of the educational setting, approximately 38 percent of abuse cases involve teachers, staff, and adult students. The analysis further examines how the relation between education and child sexual abuse is affected by factors including the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of parents. Conclusively, the combination of higher educational achievement (e.g. university, advanced polytechnic schools) and safer learning environments significantly reduces abuse risks. For instance, a girl’s odds of being raped are nearly three times iv less if she has tertiary education versus primary schooling (phi= 0.24, p= 0.01). Additionally, a small increase in school safety level reduces her risk of being raped by about 10 percent (p= 0.001). Statistical findings were interpreted in light of key informant interviews (n= 16), which also helped explore causal mechanisms and potential policy solutions. The ethical and policy-relevant ramifications of this research are crucial at a time when policymakers are urging girls to enter the classroom at higher rates, yet without fully understanding how to ensure their protection and facilitate their human agency. v Table of Contents Dedication ................................................................................................................................... xiv Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................... xv 1.0 Chapter 1. International Education Policy and Child Sexual Abuse: A Fatal Remedy........................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Hawa’s Query ................................................................................................................. 2 1.3 A View from the Human Development Paradigm ....................................................... 3 1.4 Education in the Context of Modern and Traditional Values .................................... 7 1.5 The International Policy Context .................................................................................. 9 1.6 Child Protection Sector ................................................................................................ 10 1.7 International Education Sector ................................................................................... 12 1.8 Conclusions ................................................................................................................... 15 2.0 Chapter 2. Synthesis of Research on Education and Child Sexual Abuse ...................... 17 2.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 17 2.2 Overview of the Process of Research Synthesis ......................................................... 18 2.3 Research on Child Sexual Abuse Policy ..................................................................... 19 2.4 Synthesis of Research on Child Sexual Abuse and Education ................................. 28 2.4.1 Category One: Education Stops Sexual Abuse ................................................29 2.4.2 Category Two: Students Face Sexual Violence ...............................................32 2.4.3 Category Three: Importance of Safe School Environments ..........................40 2.5 Models of Education, Child Sexual Protection and Other Variables ...................... 43 vi 2.6 Conclusions ................................................................................................................... 49 3.0 Chapter 3. Research Question and Hypotheses ................................................................. 53 3.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 53 3.2 Human Development and Modernity Paradigms ...................................................... 54 3.3 Modernity Paradigm and Education .......................................................................... 56 3.4 Human Development Paradigm .................................................................................. 59 3.5 Research Question ........................................................................................................ 61 3.6 Hypotheses ..................................................................................................................... 63 3.7 Conclusions ................................................................................................................... 67 4.0 Chapter 4. Research Methods and Design .......................................................................... 68 4.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 68 4.2 Research Methods and Design .................................................................................... 69 4.3 Quantitative Method .................................................................................................... 72 4.3.1 Instrument Design and Planning ......................................................................72 4.3.2 Pilot Testing ........................................................................................................78 4.3.3 Sampling and Data Collection ..........................................................................81 4.3.4 Analysis of Data ..................................................................................................84 4.3.5 Data Collection Strategies for Threats to Validity ..........................................86 4.4 Qualitative Method ....................................................................................................... 88 4.4.1 Key Informant Method, Instrument and Planning .........................................89 4.4.2 Selection, Data Collection and Analysis ...........................................................92 4.5 Conclusions ................................................................................................................... 93 4.6 Limitations .................................................................................................................... 97 vii 5.0 Chapter 5. Quantitative Analysis ...................................................................................... 100 5.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 100 5.2 Overview of Statistical Analysis ................................................................................ 101 5.3 Prevalence of Child Sexual Abuse ............................................................................. 103 5.4 Child Rape Status and Girls’ Education .................................................................. 106 5.5 Perpetrators of Sexual Assault .................................................................................