"Violence Aganist Children in Schools" study
VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN IN SCHOOLS study was launched today on July 5th in Tirana. The study was carried out by Save the Children Albania Programme under the guidance of Hania Kamel
This research initiative has been undertaken to respond to the need for more in depth information on the issue of violence against children in schools. It is intended to shed light on the factors which contribute to teachers and children both perpetuating and suffering forms of violence within the school system, and on the coping strategies to deal with the effects of violence.
This study builds substantially on and validates many of the previous findings of other researchers.
The findings of the report highlight the very high prevalence of the issue within the education school system, impact on children’s lives and particularly the potential ways of tackling this important problem that affects thousands of children every day.
- Physical and psychological violence are the chief means of ensuring discipline in schools in Albania and are common to all groups of children in schools.
- The most common forms of violence reported by both boys and girls are corporal punishment and cruel and degrading treatment. Bullying and more physical and psychological violence perpetuated by the teacher were highlighted more in the accounts of children in suburban/rural schools than in urban schools.
- Harsh forms of corporal punishment were described most notably in accounts of minority group children and rural children
- Both teachers and children report that boys, regardless of age, location or ethnicity are punished more than girls.
- Negative stereotypes are not limited to race, but appear to extend to aspects of physical appearance and origin implying a culture of discrimination in schools.
- The most commonly reported form of physical violence was child to child violence, highlighting bullying as an endemic form of physical violence within schools in Albania
- Girls particularly 11 - 15 years old from urban areas are particularly at risk of sexual abuse
The report concludes with a set of recommendations based on national and international best practice:
Strengthen national and local commitment and action
Prohibit all violence against children and prioritise prevention
Promote non-violent values and awareness- raising
Enhance the capacity of all those who work with children
Provide recovery and reintegration services
Create accessible and child-friendly reporting systems and services
Ensure the participation of children
Ensure accountability and end impunity
Address the gender, ethnic, and disability dimensions of violence against children
Develop and implement systematic national data collection and research
The next steps for Save the Children are to identify how to further develop the recommendations of this study and put them into action. In this regard, we have initiated consultation with key stakeholders including children. This dialogue is intended to lead to new joint initiatives to effectively tackle violence in the school and beyond.