Preventing Violence in Schools

For children to really learn at school, they must feel safe—both physically and emotionally; and they also need to be connected to caring adults. Sadly, some students face violence from their peers or teachers, violence that includes physical, sexual, and mental abuse. According to a United Nations report about violence in schools, one out of three students typically experiences bullying; and worldwide sexual harassment of school girls is so common that teachers consider it “a normal part of school life, and therefore ignore it”.

Violence in schools dishonors children’s rights and has a negative effect on academic achievement. In the Caribbean, top officials at the Caribbean Union of Teachers and Barbados Union of Teachers, along with UNICEF, are considering action they can take to promote healthy, safe schools.

In December 2008, the Caribbean Union of Teachers invited EDC to present at its 4th Education Conference about effective prevention strategies and the role of Health and Family Life Education (HFLE) curricula on violence prevention. For over 20 years, EDC's Health and Human Development division (HHD) has synthesized the global literature on effective violence prevention strategies for organizations such as the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

“We work with national and local agencies translating findings from international research on violence prevention to design whole school and community programs,” says HHD’s Director Cheryl Vince Whitman. “We have spent many years working with countries to implement a whole-school approach to violence and other health and safety issues worldwide. We have also partnered with teachers unions globally to address gender-based violence and health issues in schools.”

The whole school approach to violence prevention uses well-coordinated strategies that draw on every facet of school life. Particularly important to the success of this approach are policy, health and mental health services, physical and psycho-social environment, and skills-based curricula.

The most fundamental policy that schools must have in place is one that prevents the use of corporal punishment. Teachers who physically punish students model violent behavior and also send the message that violence is tolerated at school. To encourage positive, respectful behavior between students, teachers and staff, policies should clearly state that no form of violence will be allowed by staff or students. These policies need to be discussed and upheld on a daily basis.

Students and others who break these school policies should receive appropriate health and mental health services. A whole-school approach requires schools to have systems in place that provide services to those in need, as well as to detect and screen students early on for mental health and potential violence problems.

The psycho-social environment of the school is also a vital component to violence prevention. When students feel an attachment to their schools and to caring teachers, coaches, or counselors, they engage in fewer risky behaviors like violence. Additionally, skills-based health curricula can provide students with the opportunity to change their behavior. Through the curricula they can learn about and practice conflict resolution, anger management, and ways to overcome entrenched role differences based on gender.

The Caribbean Regional Curriculum Framework for Health and Family Life Education and the units on Self and Interpersonal Relationships, which address violence prevention, is rooted in the culture and traditions of the region. It is a valuable tool that can assist the Caribbean with one of the next steps—equipping young people with knowledge and skills to resolve conflicts, manage anger and prevent violence. The other steps support the curricula component through a healthy environment, health and mental health services, and policy.