Cairo 28/7/05
“Teachers who hit children will be punished.”
This was the title written out a hundred times on a blackboard at the United Nations sponsored conference discussing violence against children in Cairo today.
The second day's discussions -- focussing on violence in schools -- released alarming findings on the extent of corporal punishment in the region. Monsif Moalla, UNICEF Education Officer in Tunisia reported that in some countries in the region 73% of children said they were hit at school, while 40% said they were seriously beaten. Verbal and sexual violence are also common in schools though precise figures are not known.
“Often when governments are confronted with reports of violence they claim that they are isolated cases,” said Lamia Bolbol, who oversaw the regional analysis report on violence. However, in the first detailed study conducted in Syria, over 80% were verbally abused while over 50% were threatened with low grades or expulsion.
The delegates also heard personal and hard-hitting testimonies from children attending the conference.
“They used to make us stand under the sun and many children collapsed,” said one 17 year old participant in the conference. “We also had to sit on our feet in a way that really hurt.”
“Hitting is common in schools and this makes us hate school and our teachers.”
Recent research supports this view - corporal punishment is actually a poor tool for discipline.
“Corporal punishment does not create a bond between adult and child, but makes the child step away,” explained Paul Fontani, UNESCO’s specialist in peace and human rights. “And violence often escalates to the point where the child loses the idea of what is and isn’t a violent act. This makes the child more likely to use violence against others,” he concluded.
The child delegates expressed concern at the extent of studies conducted but the absence of any plan of action to end school violence.
“I hope our recommendations will be taken seriously,” said Fatma from Bahrain. “The teacher is the parent of a child during the day, the teacher needs to have the skill to bring up the child without violence.”
For further information please check www.atfal.org or contact
Anis Salem
Regional Communication Advisor
UNICEF
Cell +962 79 557 9991
asalm@unicef.org
or
Hind Abdel Fattah – Editor PR company
Cell : +2010 605 5080
editor@link.net