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Students could come and read the text and learn, because it was me they were looking for, and so it was more prudent if I wasn’t there.” 213 Whether due to school closures, decreased quality of education, or traumatic experiences, thousands of students have fallen behind in their studies or failed exams. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
214 After a high school in Kongoussi was threatened in 2019, the students were gripped by “psychosis,” the principal said: “Every time two or three people pass on motorcycles, they are afraid... they can no longer concentrate.
The stress is much higher...
Many students stopped coming, and that was evident in our [exam] results – some of them failed.” 215 In Pissila, following a number of school closures, the government sent security forces to protect students while they took their June 2019 final exams. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
However, the founder of a private school attacked in April 2019 said that 80 percent of his students failed the exam, likely due to lessons missed and psychosocial distress.
“Psychologically, many are affected,” he said.
“During exams, everyone was afraid whenever they heard a motorcycle.” 216 212 Human Rights Watch interview with teacher, Est region, February 7, 2020.
213 Human Rights Watch interview with teacher, Kaya, January 29, 2020. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
214 Human Rights Watch interview with students and education professionals, Burkina Faso, December 2019 – March 2020.
215 Human Rights Watch interview with high school principal, Kongoussi, Centre-Nord region, February 7, 2020.
216 Human Rights Watch interview with Joseph Ouedraogo, founder, Nebkieta Private High School (Pissila), Ouagadougou, February 13, 2020. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
81 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | MAY 2020 A 20-year-old secondary school student said that after armed Islamists visited her school, she had no opportunity to prepare for her final exam: “We went to school, and [the teachers] told us there would be no lessons... A week or two later we took the exam...
If you spent a week, or even more than 14 days, without [studying], what are you going to do on exam day?... | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
When the results came out, I’d failed.” 217 Accessing Alternative Schools: Risks for Children Traveling, Living Alone When schools have shut, some children lost access completely, while others began walking or biking long distances daily to attend schools in other towns, putting them at risk on the road. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
For example, after the Minima village primary school was attacked in May 2019, the principal said many students re-enrolled in the town of Zimtenga, making the 217 Human Rights Watch interview student from Namissiguima (Centre-Nord region), Kaya, February 4, 2020.
An overcrowded high school in Dédougou, Boucle du Mouhoun region, February 12, 2020.
© 2020 Private “THEIR WAR AGAINST EDUCATION” 82 eight-kilometer commute daily; others, however, abandoned school rather than make the trek. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
218 Additionally, teachers and humanitarian workers pointed out that children had begun moving to distant towns to re-enroll in school, living in groups in rented homes without a parent or guardian.
219 In early 2020, a UNICEF child protection expert estimated that there were 700 unaccompanied students in Tougan and 300 in Ouagadougou. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
220 A teacher also said he had observed the phenomenon in Est region: Some children have gone to towns – Partiaga, Fada, Diapaga – without guardians, and they’re clearly suffering.
They rent houses, two or three students together, just to continue classes...
They have difficulties.
I know 10 to 20 students in these towns, renting all alone... children…ages 11 to 17...
There are even some small children, in CM2 [primary school]. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
221 In Boucle du Mouhoun, after all schools closed in Toéni, hundreds of students relocated to Tougan and other cities.
222 A 16-year-old student said it was difficult living on his own with other students: “There’s the problem of food that we think about a lot,” he said.
He noted that money was frequently short, and he had not paid his school fees.
223 A middle school teacher in Tougan said: “These children, they sleep for example 24 in one house, without a guardian. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
They often don’t have electricity—not even a lamp to study.” 224 Teachers said students in these situations are exposed to a number of risks, in addition to their difficult living conditions.
In Nord region, teachers told Human Rights Watch that three female middle school students, approximately 17 to 19, were sexually assaulted in 218 Human Rights Watch interview with Noufou Yampa, principal of Minima village primary school, Zimtenga, Centre-Nord region, February 16, 2020. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
219 Human Rights Watch interviews with children and teachers in Boucle du Mouhoun, Est, and Centre-Nord regions, January–March 2020; interview with Karina Pascale Suisse, program director, Danish Refugee Council, Ouagadougou, February 13, 2020; interview with Guy Andang, education-in-emergencies specialist, Plan International, Ouagadougou, February 13, 2020; interview with UNICEF child protection expert, Ouagadougou, February 13, 2020. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
220 Human Rights Watch interview with UNICEF child protection expert, Ouagadougou, February 13, 2020.
221 Human Rights Watch interview with teacher, Partiaga, Est region, February 17, 2020.
222 Human Rights Watch interview with teacher from Boucle du Mouhoun region, Ouagadougou, February 12, 2020.
223 Human Rights Watch interview with student from Tougan (Boucle du Mouhoun region), Ouagadougou, February 12, 2020.
224 Human Rights Watch interview with middle school teacher, Tougan, April 29, 2020. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
83 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | MAY 2020 2019 while renting a house in Titao.
Their previous school, in Toulfé, had closed following an attack on teachers in 2018.
“A guy broke in and tried to rape them,” said a teacher who helped the girls. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
“They came to tell me that a man came at night, and he started to undress one of them, the youngest... She screamed, and the group woke up... and he fled.” 225 Increased Child Labor Whether for survival, to support their families, or to afford enrollment in new schools, many children have begun working after schools closed.
Children, teachers, and parents in four regions told Human Rights Watch that out-of-school students started working as street vendors, domestic workers, brick-makers, or in gold mines. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
226 “I ran into 10 of my [primary school] students in Kaya...
They were selling cakes and were not in school, nor at the temporary learning sites,” said a teacher displaced to Kaya, Centre-Nord region.
227 The principal of a school that closed after an attack told Human Rights Watch: “A girl called me today, one of my students, who had a scholarship... She’s in Ouagadougou working, doing house cleaning.
She’s 14...
I know maybe 20 girls [in this situation]. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
I know maybe 20 girls [in this situation].
Sometimes when I see them, I want to cry.” 228 After their schools closed, some boys have ended up doing hazardous child labor such as artisanal gold mining or brickmaking. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
229 A 16-year-old former student, who had experienced a school attack in Soum province, Sahel region in 2018, said he left in 2019 with his younger brother and three boys, ages 13 to 14, to mine for gold: After our school closed, I tried to get a place in another school, but the fees were a problem...
In 2019, I went to the big gold site in Boromo [Balé 225 Human Rights Watch interview with teacher, Titao, Nord region, February 25, 2020. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
226 Human Rights Watch interviews with teachers, students, and parents in the provinces of Sanmatenga (Centre-Nord region), Sourou (Boucle du Mouhoun), Loroum (Nord), and Soum (Sahel), January-March 2020.
227 Human Rights Watch interview with displaced teacher, Kaya, January 29, 2020.
228 Human Rights Watch interview with school principal, Lanfièra, Boucle du Mouhoun region, February 17, 2020. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
229 Human Rights Watch interviews with teachers, students and parents in Nord and Sahel regions, and interviews with humanitarian aid workers, Ouagadougou, January-March 2020.
“THEIR WAR AGAINST EDUCATION” 84 province, Boucle du Mouhoun region].
We dug holes for meters, but it was too difficult, the stone was too hard.
The gold wasn’t coming out. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
The gold wasn’t coming out.
230 An education professional from Loroum province, Nord region, said, “I’ve encountered parents who said their children went to gold mining sites—at least seven boys, ages 12 to 15.” He said the boys “had been really excellent students” at his school, before it closed due to an attack in 2018. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
231 A teacher based in Kongoussi, Centre-Nord region—whose previous school closed in 2019 following threats against nearby schools—said he saw his former students, “boys as young as 7 or 8,” making bricks to sell.
232 Disproportionate Impact on Girls In Burkina Faso, certain social norms and discrimination against girls in education, which already affected school attendance and other aspects of girls’ lives, create particular risks for out-of-school girls. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
233 “School constitutes at the very least a refuge for girls against early marriage and early pregnancy,” said Zoénabou Ouedraogo, secretary-general for the Burkinabè chapter of the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE), a pan-African nongovernmental organization promoting female education. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
234 Guy Andang, education-in-emergencies specialist at the aid organization Plan International, said that during a focus group in Kongoussi, displaced out-of-school girls spoke about fears of child marriage and parents prioritizing the education of their male siblings.
“We asked what they want, and they said: first, to go home, and second, to go back to school,” Andang said.
235 230 Human Rights Watch interview with displaced student from Béléhédé village (Sahel region), Djibo, February 19, 2020. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
231 Human Rights Watch interview with education professional, Loroum province, Nord region, February 17, 2020.
232 Human Rights Watch interview with teacher, Kongoussi, Centre-Nord region, February 18, 2020.
233 GT-ESU au Burkina Faso, “L’Education au Burkina Faso—Bref Apercu.” 234 Human Rights Watch interview with Zoénabou Ouedraogo, secretary general, Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) – Burkina Faso chapter, Ouagadougou, February 2, 2020. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
235 Human Rights Watch interview with Guy Andang, education-in-emergencies specialist, Plan International, Ouagadougou, February 13, 2020.
85 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | MAY 2020 While school enrollment rates for girls have increased nationally, certain regions—notably, the five most affected by the conflict—still lag behind.
As a result, said Ouedraogo of FAWE, “If parents have to reintegrate their children [in school], their priority is boys. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
Because already girls’ education wasn’t a priority in these zones.” 236 A 15-year-old girl from Silgadji, displaced to Ouagadougou, said she had remained out of school since armed Islamists threatened her school in 2018.
“I have two little brothers in private school,” she said. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
“My parents don’t have the resources for all of us to go.” 237 Women and girls face elevated risks of sexual and gender-based violence during armed conflict, and increasing numbers of such cases were reported in Burkina Faso in 2019.
238 Sexual violence impacts girls’ ability to go to school, including due to the stigma attached to rape, the mental health impacts of rape, or a lack of options for child care. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
Out-of-school girls are at even higher risk for sexual violence, exploitation, and early pregnancies, civil society activists said.
239 One example cited was a 236 Human Rights Watch interview with Zoénabou Ouedraogo, secretary general, FAWE Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou, February 2, 2020; GT-ESU au Burkina Faso, “L’Education au Burkina Faso—Bref Apercu”; interview with Karina Pascale Suisse, program director, Danish Refugee Council, Ouagadougou, February 13, 2020. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
237 Human Rights Watch interview with 15-year-old displaced student from Silgadji village (Sahel region), Ouagadougou, February 9, 2020.
238 Human Rights Watch interviews with security expert, Ouagadougou, December 2019 – January 2020.
239 Human Rights Watch interview with Zoénabou Ouedraogo, secretary general, FAWE Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou, February 2, 2020. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
A 15-year-old girl, displaced from Silgadji village in Sahel region, has remained out of school, selling cakes to earn money, ever since armed Islamists raided her school in 2018.
Her parents enrolled her two younger brothers in private school.
February 9, 2020.
© 2020 Lauren Seibert/Human Rights Watch.
“THEIR WAR AGAINST EDUCATION” 86 displaced female student in Kaya who became pregnant while working as domestic help, after she was unable to obtain a place in schools. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
240 According to UNICEF, Burkina Faso has the fifth highest child marriage rate in the world, with 52 percent of girls married before age 18.
241 Though the government adopted a 2016- 2025 national strategy on preventing child marriage, the problem persists. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
242 Save the Children, UNICEF, and Burkinabè civil society activists told Human Rights Watch that girls face increased risks of child marriage in the emergency context, with parents viewing it as a strategy to “‘protect’ their daughters.” 243 A UNICEF child protection expert said that while “child marriage was a practice that existed already,” new rapid evaluations showed the risk to be “elevated,” notably in Sahel region. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
244 Parents and teachers from four regions (Sahel, Nord, Est, Centre-Nord) cited this as a risk emanating from school closures.
245Zoénabou Ouedraogo from FAWE emphasized the heightened risk: “Now that there aren’t any classes to take them, [many] girls’ parents will go look for a husband.” 246 Mamounata Sawadogo, a girls’ education activist and FAWE coordinator in Kaya, said at least three displaced families told her of their plans to marry off their out-of-school girls.
247 240 Ibid. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
247 240 Ibid.
; interview with Justine Kielem, president, Groupe d’Action pour la Promotion, l’Education et la Formation de la Femme et de la Jeune Fille (GAPEF), Ouagadougou, February 4, 2020.
241 UNICEF, “Burkina Faso: Artist Smarty is committed to fight child marriage” (2019).
242 Girls Not Brides, “Burkina Faso Child Marriage Rates,” 2018, https://www.girlsnotbrides.org/child-marriage/burkina- faso/ (accessed April 16, 2020). | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
243 Save the Children, “Make Education in Emergencies a Priority in Burkina Faso” (“Faire de l'Education en Situation d’Urgence une Priorité au Burkina Faso”), June 2019, https://burkinafaso.savethechildren.net/sites/burkinafaso. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
savethechildren.net/files/library/Faire%20de%20l%27Education%20en%20Situation%20d%27Urgence%20une%20priorit e%20-BFA-%20SC-%20Mai%202...%20%2800000002%29.pdf (accessed March 18, 2020); UNICEF, "Education Cannot Wait" report, March 2020 (on file with Human Rights Watch); Human Rights Watch interview with Justine Kielem, president, GAPEF, Ouagadougou, February 4, 2020; interview with Zoénabou Ouedraogo, secretary-general, FAWE Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou, February 2, 2020. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
244 Human Rights Watch interview with UNICEF child protection expert, Ouagadougou, February 13, 2020.
245 Human Rights Watch interview with parent, Yerouporou village, Sahel region, February 27, 2020; interview with teacher, Solhan, Sahel region, January 21, 2019; interviews with teacher, Titao, Nord region, February 16-17, 2020; interview with teacher, Gayéri, Est region, February 5, 2020; correspondence with principal of Pibaore High School, Centre-Nord region, March 14, 2020. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
246 Human Rights Watch interview with Zoénabou Ouedraogo, secretary-general, FAWE Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou, February 2, 2020.
247 Human Rights Watch interview with Mamounata Sawadogo, provincial coordinator for Sanmatenga, FAWE Burkina Faso, Kaya, January 29, 2020.
87 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | MAY 2020 Human Rights Watch documented one case in which a girl was married at 17 following the forced closure of her school by armed Islamists in Soum province. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
She indicated the attack had contributed to her decision: “I’m not in school now.
I’m married and have a child...
I used to like school, but I’m afraid of it [now].” 248 248 Human Rights Watch interview with former student from Firguindi village (Sahel region), Djibo, February 28, 2020.
“THEIR WAR AGAINST EDUCATION” 88 VIII. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
“THEIR WAR AGAINST EDUCATION” 88 VIII.
Responses, Gaps, and Needs The Burkinabè government has taken important steps to respond to attacks on students, teachers, and schools, including by endorsing the Safe Schools Declaration in 2017.
Countries that endorse the declaration commit to a range of measures aimed at strengthening prevention and response related to these attacks. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
These include collecting reliable data on attacks and military use of schools; providing assistance to victims of attacks; investigating allegations of violations of national and international law, and appropriately prosecuting perpetrators; seeking to continue education during armed conflict; and developing “conflict sensitive” approaches to education. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
At least one alleged perpetrator of an education-related attack—which targeted an education professional on school grounds in 2018—was reportedly captured by Koglweogo militia, handed over to Burkinabè security forces, and prosecuted.
Human Rights Watch was unable to obtain information on the status of the case at time of writing, as the attacked individual had not been updated on the progress of the case. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
249 In line with the Safe Schools Declaration, the Burkinabè government has implemented a range of measures to maintain children’s access to education, with donors and humanitarian agencies funding and supporting many of its initiatives.
250 However, several gaps and needs persist, including insufficient support to overcrowded “host schools” and inadequate psychosocial support to teachers and students who experienced attacks. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
Government Efforts The government took a significant step by adopting, in February 2019, a five-year “National Strategy for the Education of Students in Areas with High Security Challenges (2019-2024).” Planned initiatives include: integrating displaced children in open schools, setting up temporary learning spaces, developing a condensed curriculum, organizing catch-up 249 Human Rights Interview with education professional (details withheld for security reasons), April 30, 2020. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
250 Human Rights Watch interview with Plan International education-in-emergencies specialist, Ouagadougou, February 13, 2020; interview with Oxfam program manager, Ouagadougou, January 28, 2020; interviews with UNICEF education in emergencies experts, Ouagadougou, December 9, 2019 and February 10, 2020. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
89 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | MAY 2020 sessions and programs, strengthening school security, creating school preparedness and response plans, repairing schools, training teachers to provide psychosocial support to students, and providing psychosocial assistance to teachers.
251 The same month, the government established a new Technical Secretariat for Education in Emergencies, attached to the education ministry. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
252 According to Technical Secretary Angéline Neya-Donbwa, the secretariat’s role is to implement the national strategy, collect data, oversee and coordinate education in emergencies interventions by state and humanitarian actors, and chair the Working Group on Education in Emergencies.
253 Data collection: One of the secretariat’s first initiatives was to begin collecting data on schools closed due to insecurity and the students and teachers affected, which it has regularly updated and published. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
However, this shared data has not yet included details on attacks on students, teachers, or schools, nor tracked all military occupation of schools, though the education ministry has indicated it collected some data in these areas.
254 Exam security and catch-up sessions: In June 2019, the government increased security to allow students to take their final exams in several communes across the five hardest-hit regions. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
During the July-September 2019 break, the government and aid agencies grouped together several thousand students from closed schools, providing two months of remedial lessons and a special exam session.
These took place in select towns in four regions (Sahel, Nord, Centre-Nord, Est).
255 While important steps, these efforts did not reach all the students affected by school closures. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
251 MENAPLN, “National strategy for the education of students in areas with high security challenges in Burkina Faso, 2019- 2024” (“Stratégie Nationale de scolarisation des élèves des zones a forts défis sécuritaires au Burkina Faso (SSEZDS) 2019- 2024”), February 2019, available at https://bop.bf/wp-content/uploads/STRATEGIE-DE-SCOLARISATION-DES-ELEVES-DES- ZONES-A-FORTS-DEFIS-SECURITAIRES-VERSION-FINALE.pdf (accessed March 19, 2020), pp. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
28-34; Save the Children, “Faire de l'éducation en situation d’urgence une priorité au Burkina Faso.” 252 GT-ESU au Burkina Faso, “L’Education au Burkina Faso – Bref Apercu.” 253 Human Rights Watch interview with Angéline Neya-Donbwa, Technical Secretary for Education in Emergencies (ST-ESU), MENAPLN, Ouagadougou, February 12, 2020. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
254 MENAPLN letter, “Responses to the concerns of Human Rights Watch,” May 2020 (see Annex II); Human Rights Watch interview with MENAPLN officials, Ouagadougou, February 12, 2020; interviews with UNICEF education-in-emergencies experts, Ouagadougou, December 9, 2019 and February 10, 2020; MENAPLN, “Rapport sur les statistiques,” p. 5.
255 Human Rights Watch interview with MENAPLN officials, Ouagadougou, February 12, 2020; MENAPLN, “Stratégie Nationale”; MENAPLN, “Rapport sur les statistiques,” p. 5. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
“THEIR WAR AGAINST EDUCATION” 90 Teacher relocation: The education ministry periodically redeploys teachers from schools that have closed, when the security situation does not permit reopening, to schools that continue to function.
In February 2020, the media reported that 2,194 of an estimated 10,000 teachers affected by school closures had been redeployed.
256 Notably, the ministry began increasing teachers at certain “host schools” accepting large numbers of displaced students. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
257 Enrollment of displaced students in “host schools”: In November 2019, the education ministry sent a letter to local education authorities requesting schools to enroll displaced students “systematically and without fees.” It invited host schools to inform the ministry of any supplies and classrooms needed.
258 However, the instructions were inconsistently followed or reportedly not received in some cases. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
259 According to the education ministry, over 50,000 students who were displaced or affected by school closures had been re- enrolled in host schools by late February 2020.
260 Aid agencies and local governments have provided support to some host schools in the form of desks, materials, and construction of classrooms.
261 Nonetheless, many host schools remained overcrowded and under-resourced. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
Rehabilitating and reopening schools: By early March 2020, the education ministry said it had reopened a total of 840 schools.
262 In some cases, security forces increased patrols near schools to protect them. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
263 In other cases, the government worked with aid agencies to relocate displaced people who were occupying schools, freeing up 62 schools by 256 Prince Beganssou, “Burkina Faso: The desperate figures of education drama in 81 municipalities threatened by terrorism” (“Burkina Faso : Les chiffres désespérants du drame de l’Education dans 81 communes menacées par le terrorisme”), AfrikSoir, February 6, 2020, https://www.afriksoir.net/burkina-faso-les-chiffres-desesperants-du-drame-de-leducation-dans- 81-communes-menacees-par-le-terrorisme-education-nationale-burkinabe/ (accessed February 10, 2020). | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
257 Human Rights Watch interviews with teachers in Centre-Nord region, January-March 2020.
258 MENAPLN, “Registration of internally displaced students and children” (“Inscription des élèves et enfants déplacés internes), letter no.
001094/MENAPLN/SG, November 2018 (on file with Human Rights Watch).
259 Human Rights Watch interview with humanitarian worker, Ouagadougou, February 13, 2020.
260 MENAPLN letter, “Responses to the concerns of Human Rights Watch,” May 2020 (see Annex II). | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
261 Human Rights Watch interview with teacher, Bourzanga, Centre-Nord region, February 8, 2020; interview with Pissila government official, Ouagadougou, February 10, 2020.
262 MENAPLN, “Rapport hebdomadaire sur les données ESU à la date du 10 mars 2020.” 263 Human Rights Watch interviews with teacher from Centre-Est region, February 23, 2020; interview with MENAPLN officials, Ouagadougou, February 12, 2020; interview with Pissila local government official, Ouagadougou, February 10, 2020. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
91 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | MAY 2020 February 2020.
264 However, reports indicated people displaced from their communities have since occupied additional schools.
265 Condensed curriculum: The education ministry made progress in 2019 on developing a condensed curriculum for primary and post-primary levels, which would enable students to catch up on long periods of missed classes.
266 “We want to use this particularly in schools that have reopened,” said an education official. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
“We’ll probably start in 2020.” 267 Humanitarian Support A range of UN, national and international aid agencies have been crucial to the prevention, mitigation, and response efforts related to attacks on teachers and schools.
These agencies have helped fund government initiatives, carried out joint projects, and attempted to fill the gaps.
Aid agencies set up temporary learning spaces in several sites hosting large numbers of displaced people, primarily in Centre-Nord and Sahel regions. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
Taking the form of tents, covered areas or buildings, the spaces serve either to expand classroom space in overcrowded schools, or to provide “child-friendly spaces,” offering informal education 264 MENAPLN, “Rapport sur les statistiques”; Human Rights Watch interview with Angéline Neya-Donbwa, ST-ESU, MENAPLN, Ouagadougou, February 12, 2020. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
265 Human Rights Watch interview with teacher, Namssiguia, Centre-Nord region, February 18, 2020; MENAPLN, “Rapport hebdomadaire sur les données ESU à la date du 27 février 2020.” 266 Human Rights Watch interview with MENAPLN officials, Ouagadougou, February 12, 2020; interview with Guy Andang, education-in-emergencies specialist, Plan International, Ouagadougou, February 13, 2020.
267 Human Rights Watch interview with MENAPLN official, Ouagadougou, February 12, 2020. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
The interior of a “temporary learning space” set up by UNICEF in Dori, Sahel region, January 18, 2020.
© 2020 Laciné Sawadogo “THEIR WAR AGAINST EDUCATION” 92 activities to maintain an educational routine until children can reenter school.
The government has contributed educational and child protection personnel to run the learning spaces, supervised by regional education authorities. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
268 The government and aid agencies have helped a number of schools in the five hardest-hit regions develop emergency preparedness and response plans, strengthening their capacity to react to potential attacks.
However, these initiatives have only reached a small portion of schools in regions affected by attacks, leaving many vulnerable.
269 Another joint effort involved the launch of radio schooling programs as alternatives to formal education for children in insecure regions. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
Finally, aid agencies as well as the government have supported some schools hosting displaced students by covering fees, distributing school kits, building classrooms, and providing additional desks, materials, and food supplies.
270 Gaps and Needs Despite the positive steps above, Human Rights Watch identified several urgent needs not yet adequately addressed. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
This was exacerbated by the underfunding of the UN’s “Humanitarian Response Plan” in Burkina Faso: by December 2019, only around half of the estimated need (US$187 million) had been funded, 271 with only a small percentage of aid allocated to education in emergencies.
272 For 2020, the estimated need was increased to $312 million. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
273 268 Human Rights Watch interview with Guy Andang, education-in-emergencies specialist, Plan International, Ouagadougou, February 13, 2020; interview with Karina Pascale Suisse, program director, Danish Refugee Council, Ouagadougou, February 13, 2020; interview with UNICEF education-in-emergencies specialist, Ouagadougou, February 10, 2020; interview with MENAPLN officials, Ouagadougou, February 12, 2020.
269 Ibid.
270 Ibid. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
269 Ibid.
270 Ibid.
; MENAPLN letter, “Responses to the concerns of Human Rights Watch,” May 2020 (see Annex II).
271 OCHA Financial Tracking Service, “Burkina Faso 2019: Response plan/appeal snapshot for 2019,” https://fts.unocha.org/appeals/794/summary (accessed March 20, 2020). | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
272 Human Rights Watch interviews with UNICEF education-in-emergencies experts, Ouagadougou, December 9, 2019 and February 10, 2020; GT-ESU au Burkina Faso, “L’Education au Burkina Faso—Bref Apercu.” 273 OCHA, “Burkina Faso Humanitarian Snapshot” (April 15, 2020).
93 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | MAY 2020 Overcrowded, Under-resourced Host Schools As the number of people displaced from their communities skyrocketed in 2019 and 2020, public schools in host towns became dramatically overcrowded. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
In October 2019, the education ministry said that 870 schools had accepted displaced students.
274 With class sizes stretched beyond their limit—climbing up to 100-150 students per class—host schools were unable to accommodate everyone hoping to enroll, 275 despite instructions from the education ministry.
276 A student responds to a teacher’s question in an overcrowded classroom at a public primary school in Kaya, a town hosting tens of thousands of displaced people in Centre-Nord region. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
In January 2020, the school had 748 students, including 113 displaced students.
© 2020 Lauren Seibert/Human Rights Watch 274 MENAPLN, “Rapport sur les statistiques.” 275 Human Rights Watch interviews with teachers in Centre-Nord, Nord, and Boucle du Mouhoun regions, January-March 2020.
276 MENAPLN, “Inscription des élèves et enfants déplacés internes” (November 2018 letter). | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
“THEIR WAR AGAINST EDUCATION” 94 While the Covid-19 outbreak in mid-March 2020 resulted in the temporary closure of all schools in Burkina Faso, 277 the overcrowding and under-resourcing of host schools was identified as a problem by teachers, parents, community leaders, and local officials as recently as January, February, and early March. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
They noted that the support provided to some host schools by aid agencies and city councils had yet not met the scale of the need, which included hundreds of schools requiring additional classroom space, teachers, desks, school materials, and canteen food supplies.
278 In January 2020, Brice Ouedraogo, the mayor of Pibaore in Centre-Nord region, said: “The schools are saturated!
The primary schools have [up to] 100 children per class, with one teacher. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
Some children are sitting on the ground to take their classes. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
The government said to estimate needs for the school, and we sent it to the ministry, but there’s been no support yet.” 279 In February, Wendiatta Sawadogo, mayor of Pissila, Centre-Nord region, noted: “The government sent the memo to all schools, saying they must accept all displaced children without fees, but they didn’t send funding to fill the gap.” 280 Numerous teachers told Human Rights Watch in early 2020 that their schools were severely overcrowded due to the additional students, notably in Centre-Nord region (in Kaya, Kongoussi, Bourzanga, and Zimtenga), Boucle du Mouhoun (Dédougou), and Nord (Titao). | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
Support to these schools was inconsistent: some had received additional teachers, while others had not.
A few had received additional desks or school supplies from aid agencies or city councils, but even those were insufficient, they said.
281 In February, a public primary school teacher in Bourzanga said his school had around 950 students, of which some 600 were displaced children: “The number of students has [more than] doubled.
Now, one class can have up to 150 students...
Many sit on the ground... | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
Many sit on the ground...
I don’t know why until now there isn’t a solution.” 282 277 Morin, “Coronavirus in Burkina: schools closed” (“Coronavirus au Burkina : les écoles fermées”), Wakatsera, March 14, 2020, https://www.wakatsera.com/coronavirus-au-burkina-les-ecoles-fermees/ (accessed March 28, 2020).
278 Human Rights Watch interviews with teachers, parents, community leaders, and local officials in Centre-Nord, Nord, and Boucle du Mouhoun regions, January-March 2020. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
279 Human Rights Watch interview with Brice Ouedraogo, mayor of Pibaore (Centre-Nord), Ouagadougou, January 30, 2020.
280 Human Rights Watch interview with Wendiatta Sawadogo, mayor of Pissila (Centre-Nord), Ouagadougou, February 10, 2020.
281 Human Rights Watch interviews with teachers in Centre-Nord, Nord, and Boucle du Mouhoun, January-March 2020.
282 Human Rights Watch interview with Frank Belemouisgo, teacher, Bourzanga, Centre-Nord region, February 8, 2020. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
95 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | MAY 2020 In Titao, a school administrator said plenty of teachers were available, due to nearby school closures, but “the problem is infrastructure” and a lack of classroom space.
283 In early 2020, the small town of Kaya continued to host tens of thousands of displaced people, and its public schools were far beyond capacity. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
284 During a visit to a public primary school in Kaya in January, Human Rights Watch observed students crammed four or five to a desk meant for two, in classes of up to 125 students.
“Each day, the displaced students come... we don’t refuse enrollment, but if there isn’t any space they can’t start,” said the principal.
The government had sent six additional teachers but not supplies or desks, he said. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
285 Following the reopening of schools nationally after Covid-19 lockdowns are lifted, the Burkinabè government and its partners should urgently increase support to schools hosting students who are displaced or affected by conflict-related school closures, in order to ensure children’s continued access to education.
Lack of Psychosocial and Material Support to Victims Human Rights Watch identified the lack of consistent and timely support to victims of education-related attacks as another major issue. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
Numerous teachers who were attacked or threatened said they had never received any psychosocial support from the government.
Others said the support they had received was perfunctory and inadequate, without any longer-term follow up.
Many still struggled with emotional or psychological issues.
Teachers said they felt abandoned and undervalued, expected to restart work following redeployments despite the lack of psychosocial, financial or material support. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
286 “They need to think of the teachers who are victims,” said a teacher who had been seriously beaten and never seen a psychologist.
287 Another teacher, whom armed Islamists 283 Human Rights Watch interview with school administrator, Titao, Nord region, February 17, 2020. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
284 “Burkina Faso: number of displaced has increased in the past two months” (“Burkina Faso : le nombre de déplacés a augmenté durant les deux derniers mois”), RFI, February 26, 2020, http://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20200226-burkina-faso- nombre-d%C3%A9plac%C3%A9s-augment%C3%A9-durant-deux-derniers-mois (accessed March 20, 2020).
285 Human Rights Watch interview with a primary school principal, Kaya, January 29, 2020. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
286 Human Rights Watch interviews with teachers and school administrators in Centre-Nord, Nord, Sahel, Est, and Centre-Est regions, January-March 2020.
287 Human Rights Watch Interview with teacher, Est region, February 11, 2020.
“THEIR WAR AGAINST EDUCATION” 96 tied up and threatened and whose house was burned down, had also never been contacted about psychosocial support.
“The government hasn’t helped me,” he said.
“I still teach, but I can’t forget. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
Sometimes at night when I hear motorcycles, it makes me afraid.” 288 A school administrator who was physically harmed in an attack said: “The attack hurt me very much, but the fact that after the attack, we weren’t supported… that’s what still bothers me... Victims should be supported to reduce their pain a little, but we had the impression we were abandoned to ourselves.” 289 One teacher, survivor of one of the worst school attacks, said he experienced severe migraines and described undelivered promises for psychological care: The government has not helped... One month after the attack, the head of the gendarmerie told me the [humanitarian action] ministry they’d send a psychologist, but they never called. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
A few months later, someone from the ministry called to say, “Come to Ouagadougou.” At that moment I was in shock, and I was afraid [armed Islamists] would kill me if I moved.
So, I couldn’t go.
Then the ministry said to go to [another town], and the psychologist would come.
I went there and called... he said that he would call me back... but he never did.
290 Even teachers who did receive support following attacks said the response was insufficient. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
One teacher described a “short five minute interview” by someone from the humanitarian action ministry to see if he was “normal.” 291 Another, a survivor of a serious assault, said: “I’m not sure if it was someone from the ministry of humanitarian action or an NGO, but we had an interview.
They asked some questions, like ‘How do you feel?’ I said, ‘When I remember I’m really afraid.’ They gave me few small suggestions.
That’s it. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
That’s it.
No follow up, no support.” 292 288 Human Rights Watch interview with teacher, Centre-Nord region, February 9, 2020.
289 Human Rights Watch interview with school administrator, Nord region, February 17, 2020.
290 Human Rights Watch interview with teacher in Burkina Faso, location withheld, February 23, 2020.
291 Human Rights Watch interview with teacher, Sahel region, February 24, 2020.
292 Human Rights Watch interview with teacher, Sahel region, February 3, 2020. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
97 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | MAY 2020 A teacher who had been abducted, beaten, and robbed said local education authorities “sent us to a nurse for psychological care, not a specialist.” 293 Another teacher, who was abducted and tied up for a significant period of time, said: “My supervisor took me to a psychologist once... For the medical [treatment], it’s me who pays for prescriptions... I’ve had a lot of physical problems.” 294 Many teachers also reported that they had not received any financial or material assistance as government employees following loss of their personal property incurred during attacks. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
Five teachers who had suffered significant losses said they had not yet received government compensation, though four said paperwork for these processes had been started.
295 After armed Islamists burned all his possessions, one teacher said colleagues gave him some money, but he received nothing from the government.
“They had destroyed everything—books, documents, all my property...
I had to replace it all myself,” he said. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
I had to replace it all myself,” he said.
296 Another teacher said, “We’re asking for the support of the government for our lost property, to allow us to restart work.” 297 One education professional, whose possessions were destroyed in an attack in 2018, attempted through both administrative and judicial channels to receive compensation. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
After a court case involving one of the alleged perpetrators had dragged on for more than a year, he submitted paperwork for a compensation claim through the education ministry in early 2020.
By April 2020, he had not yet received a response from the government.
298 The secretary-general of a union for education professionals agreed that lack of support for victims remained a serious problem: “Psychosocial care is lacking... people do not have the assistance they need. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
There are some who are severely traumatized... some also have 293 Human Rights Watch interview with teacher, Ouagadougou, February 11, 2020.
294 Human Rights Watch interview with teacher, Sahel region, February 3, 2020.
295 Human Rights Watch interviews with teachers from Centre-Nord, Sahel, Est, and Centre-Est regions, February 2020.
296 Human Rights Watch interview with teacher, Sahel region, February 3, 2020.
297 Human Rights Watch interview with teacher, Sahel region, February 24, 2020. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
298 Human Rights Watch interviews with education professional, location withheld, February 9 and April 30, 2020.
“THEIR WAR AGAINST EDUCATION” 98 lost their property, their house, their motorcycles... We need the state to take responsibility for victims who were in their localities [working for the government].” 299 299 Human Rights Watch interview with secretary general, SNEP/PD, Ouagadougou, February 5, 2020. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
300 “January 16, 2019 Council of Ministers Report” (“Compte rendu du Conseil des ministres du 16 janvier 2019”), Burkina 24, January 16, 2019, https://www.burkina24.com/2019/01/16/compte-rendu-du-conseil-des-ministres-du-16-janvier-2019/ (accessed April 30, 2020); Human Rights Watch correspondence with Burkinabè researcher specializing in terrorism, April- May 2020 ; Ministry of Women, National Solidarity, Family, and Humanitarian Action (MFSNFAH), letter to Human Rights Watch RE: “Responses from [MFSNFAH] to HRW’s concerns about attacks on teachers, students and schools in Burkina Faso,” May 18, 2020 (see Annex III). | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
301 “Burkina Faso: State officials victims of terrorism will now be compensated (“Burkina Faso : Les agents publics victimes de terrorisme seront désormais indemnisés”), Koaci, January 17, 2020, https://www.koaci.com/article/2019/01/17/burkina- faso/politique/burkina-faso-les-agents-publics-victimes-de-terrorisme-seront-desormais-indemnises_126996.html (accessed April 30, 2020).
302 MFSNFAH letter, “Responses from [MFSNFAH] to HRW’s concerns,” May 2020 (see Annex III). | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |
Compensation for Victims of Attacks in Burkina Faso’s Public Education Sector Property losses, physical injuries, and psychosocial issues caused by the attacks can have devastating financial consequences for victims and their families.
Recent government policies have offered the promise—not always delivered in practice—of support to civil servants, including teachers, who experienced attacks. | https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thematic2f/pw_2/1721909239768.pdf | https://protectingeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/HRW_war_Against_education.pdf | Burkina Faso |