Midterm report zero tolerance: gender-based violence-free schools in Nepal
MID-TERM REVIEW PURPOSE
The purpose of this mid-term review1 (MTR) was to assess the achievements and areas of improvement of the Zero Tolerance: Gender Based Violence (GBV) Free Schools in Nepal project (2016-2018) and identify actionable recommendations for the remaining project period.
Conclusion
Overall, the project has done well within schools to create a culture of discussion about GBV, its various forms and the need to stop it. The internalization amongst students and teachers about what GBV is, behavior that is appropriate or not appropriate, and what students should or should not tolerate, are key lessons which will hopefully support attitudinal change in both boys and girls. Enabling teachers and schools to adopt systems that enable students to openly bring up concerns, be confident 45 The project outcomes do not explicitly state about work at family and community levels but nonviolent behaviors and zero tolerance cannot be promoted without deeply embedded discriminatory gender and social norms being challenged. 63 Nepal Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Project about suggesting changes and be empowered enough to question teachers and discriminatory traditions are major achievements. To ensure that these successes continue and are strengthened, certain measures need to be adopted so that the project can facilitate a more sustainable reduction of GBV. Working at a policy level has to continue as it contributes to a positive enabling environment but along with that a more intense and systematic effort is needed to strengthen referral mechanisms and pathways at the local level. Rather than working with elements at the central level with pieces tangentially related to the goal of the program, the project should focus on strengthening referral mechanisms. A transformative approach to address structural causes of discrimination at family and community levels would enable the school based interventions to be more effective.