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Join us in ensuring every child is safe to learn
Urgent political commitments and investments are needed to implement and expand proven approaches to prevent, mitigate and respond to violence against children in, around, and through schools.
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:
- Improve and implement policies and legislation
- Strengthen prevention, risk mitigation, and response in education systems and schools
- Shift social and gender norms and promote behavior change
- Invest resources effectively
- Generate and use evidence
Violence is often rooted in harmful and discriminatory social and gender norms and behaviors. Therefore, all efforts to end violence must address social and behavioral drivers of violence and be gender-transformative and inclusive to be effective and sustainable.
Schools and education systems are central to systemic and sustainable change to end all forms of violence in all settings - including at home, in the community and throughout wider society. It is critical that a ‘whole school approach’ to addressing violence is implemented; bringing together parents, community members, faith leaders, school staff and children and young people themselves to challenge norms, change behaviours, and ensure accountability.
Ministries of Education are critical leaders in ending violence in schools; collaborating closely with Ministers and partners from child protection, health, gender, and justice to ensure a holistic and multi-sectoral approach.
Investing to end violence against children in schools is essential to ensure safe, inclusive, quality education and enhance foundational learning. Safe to Learn’s country engagement approach offers several new investment opportunities to enable action.
Contact us now to learn about opportunities to address violence in and around schools by endorsing the Call to Action, investing in Safe to Learn’s programmes or learn about strategies and tools to develop effective interventions.
For more information on Safe to Learn, please contact us at safetolearn@unicef.org