Tackling Violence In Schools

This thematic report was developed to assist partners, including Governments, international organizations, human rights mechanisms, civil society actors, research institutions, teachers’ unions and communities, which all have an indispensable role to play in ending all forms of violence against children in and around schools.

Violence in schools is a pervasive, highly emotive and, above all, global problem. Bullying and its negative social consequences are of perennial concern, while the media regularly highlights incidences of violent assault - and even murder - occurring within schools. This unique and fascinating text offers a comprehensive overview and analysis of how European nations are tackling this serious issue. Violence in Schools: The Response in Europe, brings together contributions from all EU member states and two associated states. Each chapter begins by clearly outlining the nature of the school violence situation in that country. It then goes on to describe those social policy initiatives and methods of intervention being used to address violence in schools and evaluates the effectiveness of these different strategies. Commentaries from Australia, Israel and the USA and an overview of the book's main themes by eminent psychologist Peter K. Smith complete a truly international and authoritative look at this important - and frequently controversial - subject. This book constitutes an invaluable resource for educational administrators, policymakers and researchers concerned with investigating, and ultimately addressing, the social and psychological causes, manifestations and effects of school violence.

This report has been prepared by UNESCO and the Institute of School Violence and Prevention at Ewha Womans University for the International Symposium on School Violence and Bullying: From Evidence to Action, Seoul, Republic of Korea, 17 - 19 January 2017. It aims to provide an overview of the most up-to-date available data on the nature, extent and impact of school violence and bullying and initiatives to address the problem. The symposium is one of a series of international meetings UNESCO has organised to address school violence and bullying and it is intended to promote evidence-based action by educators, policy makers, professionals and practitioners in the education, health and other sectors. Consequently, this report aims to provide education sector stakeholders with a framework for planning and implementing effective programmes to prevent and respond to school violence and bullying as part of wider efforts to address violence against children.

Most schools are safe places for children but that does not mean that members of a school community live and learn together in harmony at all time. Violence towards children can take place in a variety of forms, including physical and verbal abuse and bullying. This is a practical handbook for schools to use when training staff in techniques for reducing violence. In particular, it addresses two issues: how to establish and maintain a learning environment where violence is not tolerated and how to respond to violence when it occurs so that this environment is protected. Each chapter covers a critical area for school policy, describes the issues, and proposes activities designed to be combined into a training programme to meet the specific needs of a group of staff. This includes teachers and the growing number of support staff in European schools. School leaders, administrators and educationalists should find this guide a useful addition to the resources for reducing violence in schools available in their own country.

Violence against women (VAW) and girls exists in all countries and across all socio-economic groups, with around one in three women experiencing sexual and physical violence in their lifetime worldwide. This issue was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, intensifying the need for urgent action to eradicate it. Many governments, including in the MENA region, have enacted policies and programmes to tackle VAW. However, limited strategic planning, long-term investment in services, and co-ordinated responses among public institutions and actors involved in the implementation of VAW strategies have made it difficult to break the VAW cycle. Drawing on data collected through the 2022 OECD Survey on Strengthening Governance and Victim/survivor-centric Approaches to end Violence Against Women in MENA Countries, this report provides an overview of MENA countries’ efforts to develop whole-of-government VAW responses, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and with a view to help anticipate future crises. It assesses the gaps that hinder progress towards achieving lives free from violence for all women and girls and provides recommendations to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the policy and institutional frameworks across MENA countries in addressing VAW.

Argues that the rise in school violence is the consequence of a society that promotes and encourages aggressive and competitive behavior, and proposes ways to transcend these destructive trends and stress compassion over bullying.

This book provides a thorough compilation of the types, specific incidents, relevant agencies, theories, responses, and prevention programs relevant to crime and violence in schools and on campuses. Encyclopedia of School Crime and Violence is the most comprehensive reference on this deeply unsettling topic ever undertaken. No other volume integrates as much information about the many types of crime and violence occurring in schools as well as the variety of responses and prevention efforts aimed at curbing it. In a series of alphabetically organized entries, Encyclopedia of School Crime and Violence looks at significant cases both at high schools and on college campuses, with coverage that includes professional and community responses, and theories as to why these events happened. Unlike other volumes that focus only on the most sensational events, the encyclopedia spans the full spectrum of school crime—not just the high profile cases like Columbine and Virginia Tech, but the insidious problems of theft, bullying, cybercrime, violence, sexual assault, and more. Coverage includes information on some cases outside the United States, as well as entries on the government agencies and other organizations dedicated to analyzing and eradicating school crime and violence.