Ending violence in schools: An investment case
While there is no doubt that education is transformative, simply going to school is not enough.
Highlights
Preventing violence in and around schools (VIAS) is a moral imperative. It is also a smart investment. The negative effects of VIAS are widespread. Children’s lives are profoundly affected when they are victims or perpetrators of violence, with scars that last a lifetime. Violence in school affects virtually all aspects of a child’s wellbeing, including especially mental health.
Preventing VIAS is above all a moral imperative. But it is also a good investment. This study provides policy makers with rigorous data and evidence on both the negative impacts of VIAS and the large benefits of ending VIAS. The case for investments towards ending VIAS is clear. Promising interventions to end VIAS are available and have large benefits to cost ratios.
This study has been undertaken within the context of the multi-partner Safe to Learn global initiative to end VIAS. At the World Bank, the study is part of a program of work on safe and inclusive schools. The findings from the study suggest that in addition to being a moral imperative, ending VIAS is also a smart economic investment.
