According to a Plan International report, 246 million girls and boys are harassed and abused in and around school every year. A recent review of 40 low and middle-income countries by UNICEF found that up to 10% of adolescent girls aged 15–19 reported incidences of forced sexual intercourse or other sexual acts in the previous year.
Violence in schools is intolerable: not only does it violate human rights but it is also a barrier to learning.
As one of the 30+ members of the Global Working Group to End School-Related Gender-Based Violence, the Global Partnership is participating in the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.
The campaign “From peace in the home to peace in the world: Make education safe for all” runs from the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (November 25) to International Human Rights Day (December 10).
The Global Working Group is calling on UN Agencies, governments, donors, ministries of education and others to take affirmative steps to address violence in school. Because when schools are free from violence, the positive effects extend far beyond the classroom to improve gender relationships in the society at large.
Read the Call to Action.