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Article
School Violence: Where Are the Interventions?
Psychology Department Faculty Publications
  • Karen M Devries, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
  • Catherine L Ward, University of Cape Town
  • Dipak Naker, Raising Voices, Uganda
  • Jenny Parkes, University College London-Institute of Education
  • Chris Bonell, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
  • Amiya Bhatia, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
  • Clare Tanton, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
  • Edx Walakira, Makerere University
  • Lynette A Mudekunye, REPSSI (Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative) South Africa
  • Liane Peña Alampay, Ateneo de Manila University
  • Ruchira Tabassum Naved, icddr,b, Bangladesh
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
11-15-2021
Abstract

Globally, 1 billion children experience some form of physical, sexual, or emotional violence each year. Most of these children live in low-income and middle-income countries, and much of this violence occurs in and around schools. For the 90% of children who are enrolled in primary school, violence might be even more common in school than at home. About 60% of children aged 6–10 years report recent physical and emotional violence from peers at school, and 46–95% of primary school students experience corporal punishment from teachers, including in countries with legal prohibitions. According to a UNESCO report, sexual violence and harassment are also common, experienced by more than 10% of students in 96 countries. But some groups are at an even higher risk. In Uganda, for example, 20% of primary school girls aged 11–14 years with disabilities, but 10% of primary school girls of the same age without disabilities, reported sexual violence, mainly from peers but also from teachers.

Citation Information
Devries, K. M., Ward, C. H., Naker, D., Parkes, J., Bonell, C., Bhatia, A., Tanton, C., EdxWalakira, Mudekunye, L. A., Alampay, L. P., & Naved, R. T. (2021). School violence: Where are the interventions? The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 6(1), 5–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642(21)00329-1