Education cannot be called inclusive or equitable if it exposes children to harm.
This powerful message rang clear in the Special Rapporteur on the right to education's first-ever thematic report as part of the United Nations Human Rights Council's 59th session. The release of this report on the right to education is a landmark moment for children’s rights, as it treats safety not just as a policy goal, but as a human right.
The data is stark: school-related violence affects an estimated 246 million children annually, with lifelong impacts on well-being and learning. Bullying, corporal punishment, sexual exploitation, discrimination and unsafe infrastructure, all threaten children’s right to be safe. Girls, children with disabilities, and those affected by conflict or displacement are particularly at risk.
The report emphasizes the need for stronger protection measures, investment in mental health, and child-friendly reporting systems. The right to be safe in education is defined as the protection of learners, educators, and school staff from violations of their physical, sexual, and psycho-emotional integrity, as well as from environments that jeopardize healthy relationships, identity expression, or psychological well-being. This right must be guaranteed for all children, in all educational settings – formal and informal, physical and digital – at all levels of education and without discrimination.
The Safe to Learn Coalition is an alliance of 16 cross-sectoral global partners working together to ensure every child learns in a safe, inclusive and supportive environment. The Safe to Learn Call to Action – calls on governments to integrate violence prevention and response into education systems through five key pillars: legal policies and frameworks, safe learning environments, social and gender norms and behaviour change, effective resourcing, and evidence-based action. The Special Rapporteur’s report echoes this framework, reinforcing the “whole-school, whole-system” approach, grounded in international human rights standards.
This release of the Special Rapporteur’s report follows the first Global Ministerial Conference on Violence Against Children in 2024, at which over 45 countries made formal pledges to prioritize safe and enabling learning environments. These growing commitments reflect the recognition by national governments that violence prevention and response is essential to achieving inclusive, quality learning for all.
The Special Rapporteur also warns that some security measures – such as school policing, surveillance technologies, and militarization – can erode trust and infringe on rights. Instead, governments are urged to adopt rights-based safety approaches that empower children and communities, prohibit corporal punishment, and foster inclusive school cultures rooted in respect and dignity.
This report reinforces the Safe to Learn Call to Action noting that safety is not an optional add-on – it is a core component of the right to education.
Safe to Learn urges all governments to endorse the Safe to Learn Call to Action and act decisively on the Special Rapporteur’s recommendations. As the global community works toward Sustainable Development Goal 4, let us reaffirm a simple truth: every child has the right to be safe to learn.
Gemma Wilson-Clark is the Head, Safe to Learn Secretariat, UNICEF Education
