Blog of Evelyne Para, SI Representative to UNESCO in Paris.

A significant number of children and adolescents worldwide face violence and bullying in schools, including cyber-bullying.

Combating this violence in schools, which harms the health, well-being and learning of young people, is an urgent and essential challenge. This is why UNESCO Member States have proclaimed the first Thursday of November as the “International Day against Violence and Bullying in Schools”, calling on their partners, civil society and NGOs to celebrate every year and support the celebration of this International Day. In 2024, it was 7 November.

What is this school violence, and what are the consequences?

Globally, one in three students report being bullied or physically assaulted during the school year. Violence is also expressed through words: bullying is an alarming reality and has deleterious consequences for young people’s mental health and well-being. From bullying to gender-based violence, school violence today manifests itself in many forms, undermining the transformative power of education.

School violence disproportionately affects certain groups based on their gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status and other identity markers. Girls remain particularly vulnerable: up to 25% of adolescent girls experience gender-based violence, and up to 40% of these incidents occur at school.

And, at the time of social networks, this harassment no longer stops at the school gates. The violence of words continues and branches out online, outside of school hours: cyber-bullying affects nearly one in ten children. Bullied students are twice as likely to suffer from insomnia, feelings of isolation or suicidal thoughts. Even though we talk more and more about this subject, many children continue to keep the violence they are subjected to secret from those around them.

Young people who experience violence in any form often have difficulty concentrating and developing cognitively. This leads to lower academic performance, absenteeism and, in many cases, dropping out of school.

Teacher well-being and effectiveness are also profoundly affected by school violence: around 80% of teachers report experiencing some form of violence, ranging from verbal abuse to physical assault. This leads to high levels of stress, burnout and reduced job satisfaction, which impacts on the quality of teaching they can deliver. When teachers are demotivated or feel unsafe, the entire learning environment suffers.

“Protect, Educate, Empower” is the call launched by UNESCO 

An interesting reflection has been conducted at UNESCO with NGO working groups in which Soroptimist International participated, following on from the efforts of the Safe to Learn coalition, the Global Working Group to End School-Related Gender-Based Violence (SRGBV WG) and the Global Forum against Bullying. This work explores the multifaceted nature of violence in education settings, identifies its root causes and highlights the urgent need for a holistic approach to create safe, inclusive and equitable learning environments.

The UNESCO synthesis report (https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000391797) highlights the essential role of teachers in preventing, detecting and responding to physical, verbal and psychological violence in schools. For example, teachers play a role in promoting gender equality and inclusion in the classroom, helping to challenge harmful norms that perpetuate violence. Children must also be provided with information and appropriate support so that they can report violence and seek help. Action is also needed at the heart of school curricula, so that educational content promotes values ​​of peace and respect for others. Education systems must also integrate prevention, addressing the intersecting factors of violence such as gender inequality, harmful social norms and inadequate policies, so that schools are effective bulwarks against hate speech and discrimination – always at the root of bullying and rejection of others.

UNESCO also supports its Member States, collecting baseline data to strengthen understanding of this phenomenon and providing technical expertise to public decision-makers. UNESCO thus directly supports some thirty countries in their efforts to curb school violence, helping these countries to reform their national policies and to better train teachers on these issues.

To better understand school violence, it is also necessary to recognise the influence of harmful social norms, which can normalise certain forms of violence, and external factors, such as community or societal violence, which have repercussions in schools. For example, gang violence or armed conflict can disrupt the safety of the learning environment and exacerbate cycles of fear and insecurity. This complex interaction underlines the need for comprehensive strategies to combat violence, not only at the school level, but also in the broader educational framework.

In conclusion,

Ending violence in and around education is not only a moral and legal obligation: it is a priority for building a peaceful, just and inclusive society.

This can only be achieved through collective action between governments, civil society, international organisations and all stakeholders in education communities (students, teachers, other staff, parents and local authorities) to transform learning environments into safe and welcoming spaces where all students can learn and thrive, free from fear, danger and harm, wherever they live.