Students in most Pacific Island Countries and Territories have been found to face violence in and around the classroom at a much higher rate than the global average, said UNICEF after releasing a new report ‘An Everyday Lesson: #ENDviolence in Schools’ on 6 September.

The report is part of its global #ENDViolence campaign aimed at schools which found that peer bullying (physical fights and psychological), and corporal punishment as the causes.

Around 150 million or half of students worldwide, aged 13 to 15 years have reported experiencing peer-to-peer violence in and around school.

In Tonga, peer bullying is experienced by one in every two students; in Samoa three in cour students aged 13-15; in Solomon Islands and Vanuatu two in three students; and between three to 4 in every 10 students in seven other Pacific Island countries.

Globally, the report shows that figures are lower with slightly more than one in three students aged 13-15 experiencing bullying, and about the same proportion are involved in physical fights.

While girls and boys are equally at risk of bullying, girls are more likely to become victims of psychological forms of bullying and boys are more at risk of physical violence and threats. 

With regards to corporal punishment at school, nearly 720 million school-aged children live in countries where it is not fully prohibited.

In 10 out of 14 Pacific Island Countries and Territories, corporal punishment is prohibited although it is not always enforced, because a substantial number of teachers haven’t been trained in alternative discipline methods.

According to the report, peer violence is a pervasive part of young people’s education around the world, which impacts student learning and well-being in rich and poor countries alike.

UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said that education is the key to building peaceful societies, and yet, for millions of children around the world, school itself is not safe.

“Every day, students face multiple dangers, including fighting, pressure to join gangs, bullying – both in person and online, violent discipline, sexual harassment and armed violence. In the short-term this impacts their learning, and in the long-term it can lead to depression, anxiety and even suicide. Violence is an unforgettable lesson that no child needs to learn.”

UNICEF Pacific Representative, Sheldon Yett, added, “We are working with governments and communities in the Pacific to ensure that schools are a safe place for children and young people to grow and to learn. Parents, young people and caregivers must be trained with the right tools to protect children at risk from bullying, violence, exploitation and abuse.” 

Action

UNICEF is calling for urgent action by:

• Implementing policies and legislation to protect students from violence in schools.
• Strengthening prevention and response measures in schools.
• Urging communities and individuals to join students as they speak up about violence and work to change the culture of classrooms and communities.
• Making more effective and targeted investments in proven solutions that help students and schools stay safe.
• Collecting better, disaggregated data on violence against children in and around schools and sharing what works.

UNICEF is also holding a number of #ENDviolence Youth Talks around the world over the coming months with a series of student-led discussions. This will give students a platform to share their experiences of violence and voice what they need in order to feel safe in and around school, and will inform recommendations to global leaders.

Young people are encouraged to have their say on UNICEF’s website on how they are working together and what solutions they are using to #ENDviolence in and around schools.