Violence in and around schools impacts an estimated 246 million children and young people every year. Violence is dramatically undermining the transformative power of education leaving millions of children living in fear and limiting their potential.

Violence is not inevitable; there are proven solutions that prevent violence and help keep children safe, but not enough is being done to deliver these solutions. We need to elevate this issue on the political agenda, and within the global education community.

Safe to Learn, GPE and partners have joined together to publish a high-level Essay Collection to share new ideas, solutions and voices to mobilize more political attention, action and funding to end violence in and through schools.

The essay collection is being launched at the margins of the Transforming Education Pre-Summit. The UN Secretary General’s Transforming Education Summit process this year provides a unique opportunity for political leaders to forge a new social contract for education - one where violence prevention is right at the heart of efforts to accelerate progress on education.

The Summit represents a pivotal moment for children, their safety and their futures.

High level leaders, experts and advocates that have contributed, include:

• Joy Phumaphi, Board Co-Chair, End Violence Partnership
• H.E. President Jakaya Kikwete, Chair, Global Partnership for Education
• Dr Wajih Owais, Minister of Education, Jordan
• Helen Grant MP, UK Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on Girls' Education
• Stefania Giannini, Assistant DG for Education, UNESCO
• Yasmine Sherif, Director, Education Cannot Wait
• Dr Daniela Ligiero, CEO, Together for Girls and Director, Brave Movement
• Josephine Kamara, GPE Youth Leader, Sierra Leone
• Filbert Baguma, Secretary General, Uganda Teacher Union
• Rev. Keishi Miyamoto, President, Arigatou International
• Mark Finnis, Author and Relational Practice Practitioner

Below is an extract of the essay by GPE Board Chair Jakaya Kikwete, in which he describes the four steps that leaders around the world must take to end violence in and around schools:

A shocking half of all children experience violence in and around school. School-based violence is a universal issue, it happens on the way to school, at school, and online, in times of conflict, emergencies and peace.

If we want every child to have a quality education, we must ensure students’ safety. But violence in schools remains under the radar on the global and national policy agenda, as wars, economic instability, climate change, and the pandemic dominate political and policy debates. Continuing to ignore the issue means continuing to harm children.

For example, in 10 countries as disparate as Cambodia, Kenya, and the United States, 400,000 girls recently reported school sexual violence in just one year. In addition to violence against individuals, armed non-state actors target entire schools. In February 2022, gunmen abducted 42 students and teachers from the Government Science College in Nigeria, a chilling demonstration of the dangers some children face. Schools have been destroyed in the war in Ukraine.

Violence traumatizes children, sets back learning, and pushes some out of school altogether. The mental health toll can be substantial. Schoolchildren like Aichetou of Mauritania are among the two in three young people globally who worry about being harmed in or around school.

Aichetou walks 1.5 kilometers each way to College Riadh 5 in the outskirts of Nouakchott, Mauritania’s capital. At first, she was afraid of the dangers on her route. But she walks with friends now and is flourishing, so she persists despite the risks.

The impact of violence makes it harder for children to learn, and to achieve their dreams. It weakens community ties and deprives countries of human capital, slowing their economic progress.

This must change. To elevate the issue globally, there are four steps our leaders should take.

Find out what they are by reading the full essay.