Reducing Violence in Zimbabwean High Schools via Peer Mediation

As in many countries, bullying, fighting, gender-based violence and other forms of violence are common in Zimbabwe's schools. This reflects an increasing resort to violence in wider society. The response of the authorities and individual teachers to date has been largely retributive and of limited effectiveness. In this research, an alternative in the form of peer mediation was introduced into four high schools in Harare and operated over a 10-month period. Fifteen Form Three students in each of the schools were trained in mediation and operated under the supervision of the main researcher and designated teachers. An evaluation of outcomes showed that a very high proportion of cases handled by the mediators were successfully resolved and that the extent of violent behaviours in the schools fell dramatically. In addition, there were wider benefits in the form of a more conducive environment for learning and a spillover of conflict-resolving skills to the wider community. From these findings, it seems that peer mediation offers a positive contribution towards building more peaceful schools.