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Summary: Day two of the MENA regional consultation
begins with an overview of violence against
children in schools.[CAIRO, 28 June 2005] – The second day of the consultation continued
today with a presentation on understanding the concept of violence in
schools by Moncef Moalla from UNICEF Tunisia and a presentation of
children’s recommendations. The delegates were then divided into two
groups to discuss violence in schools on two levels: first policy, legislation,
services and capacity, and second, awareness raising and advocacy.
Moalla introduced the subject by offering a series of definitions of violence,
including some regional definitions, for instance from the submission of the
West Bank: “Violence refers to any kind of domination and oppression
imposed by a powerful side on a weaker one”; and from Syria: “Violence is
any behaviour which intentionally leads to harm or destruction to people
or objects around them”.
After briefly enumerating some of the causes of violence, he talked about
consequences and impact by presenting some figures about percentages
of children affected by violence in schools. No country-specific statistics
were offered, however on a regional level, it is believed 40 per cent of
children have been severely beaten, 58 per cent have been exposed to
various types of violence, including 3.5 per cent have suffered sexual
violence, and 25 physical violence. Boys are generally more affected than
girls, apart from verbal violence and sexual harassment which affects girls
more than boys.
According to him, developing a good knowledge base is one of the main
challenges for this region. Then there is a need to build on political will,
such as this meeting for instance, breaking silence and fighting cultural
attitudes which favour violence and corporal punishment are also vital.
Some recommendations were drawn up during a meeting in Nairobi in
April, including:
1. developing a child friendly school framework, with a focus on non
discrimination, particularly in issues of gender and disability
2. an emphasis must be put on constructive discipline as an
alternative to corporal punishment
3. children value being part of a group, therefore there should be
activities after school to foster this
4. encourage research and studies
5. develop partnerships between all, including children
6. develop monitoring mechanisms
More soon...