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School violence is widespread, occurs in all countries and affects a large number of children and adolescents. It refers to all forms of violence in or outside of the classroom, around schools, on the way to or from school, as well as in online and other digital environments.

School violence is primarily experienced by learners, and it may be perpetrated by other learners, teachers or others in the school community.

Every month, one in three learners is bullied at school globally. Over 36% of learners experience a physical fight with their peers and almost one in three has been physically attacked at least once in a year. Cyberbullying is a growing problem, affecting as many as one in ten children. Whilst data on sexual or gender-based violence in school is difficult to collect, most recent data estimates that approximately 60 million girls are sexually assaulted on their way to or at school every year. Furthermore, half of all school children aged 6-17 live in countries where corporal punishment at school is still not fully prohibited.

It is crucial not to overlook the various forms of violence teachers and school personnel also face, including physical assaults, verbal abuse, and psychological and sexual harassment, perpetrated by school staff, learners and/or parents. 

School violence refers to physical, psychological and sexual violence as conceptualized in the figure below. It can take a number of forms, including corporal punishment, sexual abuse and assault, bullying or cyberbullying, sexual comments, physical fighting and psychological violence by peers or adults such as harmful taunting, insults and exclusion or denial of resources.

Beyond interpersonal violence, education policies, practices, and processes that disadvantage or exclude certain groups of learners constitute a less tangible form of institutional violence. Those include biased curriculum content, normalized violence in school cultures, insufficient support to vulnerable learners, discriminatory dress codes, or unequal resource allocation, all of which may harm their academic and social development.  

We know that violence at school in all of its forms can have severe impacts and long-lasting consequences on learners’ physical and mental health education outcomes and in turn, their futures.

For example, bullying is associated with headaches, sleep issues, depression and thoughts of suicide, as well as risky behaviours, such as drug use, smoking, drinking alcohol and unsafe sex. Sexual violence among adolescents can also lead to increased substance use, depression, and health issues such as unintended pregnancy, as well as higher likelihood of experiencing violence, or perpetrating violence as an adult. Studies have also shown a correlation between bullying, school climate, and lower test scores in standardized tests, and bullying may be one of the main drivers of lower academic performance.

Because of its impact on learning, school violence is not only a children’s rights issue but also carries significant costs for education systems if left unaddressed.

UNESCO supports the prevention of and in response to school violence in and through education, aiming to foster safer learning environments for all learners.

We do so by applying a whole-school approach and promoting the active engagement of the entire education sector as well as of other sectors and actors with a stake in ending school violence, both within and outside of the school setting. 

UNESCO supports countries and education systems to end school violence in all its forms through a set of complementary approaches: 

• Advocacy: For example, establishing and commemorating the International Day against Violence and Bullying at School including Cyberbullying (which is observed on the first Thursday of November every year); leading and contributing to international partnerships and initiatives such as the Global working group to end school-related gender-based violence (SRGBV), Safe to Learn and the World Anti-Bullying Forum, among others; and positioning education within key platforms, high-level conferences and events. 
• Technical and programmatic work through, for example, the development of the , a  for national action on SRGBV, a brief exploring how to measure SRGBV, and  on ending bullying and cyberbullying, in particular. UNESCO also commissions or supports research on gender-based violence in higher education settings, among others. 
• Capacity building and support for country implementation of programmes to end school violence. For example, UNESCO highlighted  and has equipped teachers to address SRGBV in West and Central Africa through training and teacher training manuals and lesson plans. In seven countries in Asia Pacific and in Eastern and Southern Africa, 91Â鶹¹ú²ú¾«Æ·×ÔÅÄ supported the development and use of a classroom-based teaching tool called ‘ for learners aged 11-14 and 12-15 respectively, to prevent and respond to gender-based violence. 
• Knowledge management and dissemination by acting as co-chair of the Global working group to end SRGBV (see more below) and working, for example, with the UNESCO Chair on bullying and cyberbullying. UNESCO hosts regular regional learning symposia on SRGBV to promote sharing of good practice and lessons between governments, researchers and civil society across different countries. 
• Monitoring and evaluation of education sector responses to school violence, through technical guidance on the development of indicators. For example, UNESCO is collaborating with partners to link indicators measuring Violence Against Children to those measuring school violence and gender-based violence. 

Harmful gender norms and stereotypes are significant drivers of violence in and around school. Learners of all genders may experience gender-based violence in and around schools, and this seriously hampers their education, their rights and their physical and mental health. With gender equality as its global priority, UNESCO is paying particular attention to the gendered dimensions of school violence. 

SRGBV includes acts or threats of sexual, physical or psychological harm occurring in and around schools or through education systems, driven by harmful gender norms, stereotypes and unequal power dynamics. This violence is further compounded by factors such as ethnicity, culture, poverty and ability which all intersect with gender. For example,  violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression including homophobic and transphobic bullying is deeply rooted in gendered beliefs, attitudes and values as well as reflecting broader social norms around sexuality. Addressing school violence therefore requires an understanding of gender dynamics and deep-rooted patriarchal, social and cultural norms. 

In the context of bullying, data shows that girls experience bullying as much as boys. However, the types of bullying girls and boys experience differ. Boys are much more exposed to physical bullying, and to physical violence in general, than girls. Girls are slightly more exposed to psychological bullying, particularly through cyberbullying, and increasingly to sexual bullying only. Sexual bullying (sexual jokes, comments and gestures) affects the same proportion of boys and girls. Physical sexual violence (assault, harassment and rape) can affect both boys and girls, but girls are more likely to be the victims of this kind of violence. Lastly, corporal punishment and all forms of violent discipline are also influenced by gender, with boys more likely to experience physical corporal punishment than girls and learners likely to be punished to reinforce expectations regarding appropriate behaviors for each gender. 

Under the leadership of UNESCO and the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI), a Global working group to end SRGBV was established in 2014. Today, the working group brings together over 75  organizations committed to ending gender-based violence in and around schools. 

As co-chair of the working group, UNESCO is committed to leveraging global advocacy, knowledge-sharing and collaboration among partners on violence against children, violence in schools, violence against women and girls, and evidence and research on SRGBV.