Global advocacy
Advocating for a world where every child is safe to learn.
When children are not safe, they cannot learn.
Violence against children in and around schools is happening on an unimaginable scale globally, with wide-ranging health, educational, economic and social impacts. Children who are marginalized due to intersectional factors such as gender, race, disability and sexual orientation, and children living in conflict-affected areas are at event higher risk of violence.
Girls and young women with disabilities face up to 10 times more gender-based violence than those without disabilities.
Violence undermines the transformational power of education. All forms of violence in and around schools, can and must be prevented. Investing in ending violence against children in schools is essential to ensure safe, inclusive and quality education for every child.
Violence is rooted in harmful and discriminatory social and gender norms. Therefore, all efforts to end violence against children must be gender-transformative and inclusive.
Schools and education systems are central to achieving systemic and sustainable change to end all forms of violence in all settings, including at home and in the community.
The Safe to Learn Call to Action outlines 5 key pillars, with proven solutions and measurable benchmarks, for national governments and education actors to take urgent action to ensure every child is safe to learn.
We work with and through partners to harness the power and reach of global platforms and networks to speak with one voice to raise awareness on the harmful impacts of violence against children and the transformational power of education across the world.
Safe to Learn recognizes the power of youth advocacy, where one voice can turn into a thousand echoes and are committed to including and supporting diverse youth voices in our work.
As part of its Strategy, Safe to Learn’s Global Advocacy pillar works to elevate the issue on the global political agenda and strengthen coordination across education, child protection, and health sectors. In 2022, Safe to Learn launched a Global Advocacy Task Force, co-led by the Global Partnership for Education to mobilise strong and impactful advocacy collaboration on preventing violence in, around and through schools. It brings together critical Safe to Learn partners, youth advocates, teachers, and sister organizations, who work together around a shared commitment to:
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Elevate the role of the education sector in addressing violence in, around, and through schools at key political moments and events.
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Enable endorsements of the Call to Action and strengthen political commitments on ending violence in schools;
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Embed violence prevention and response in the education sector and at school level.
