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Take action to #ENDviolence against children
Don’t let violence be an everyday lesson.
Violence in schools can have serious long-term consequences on children’s lives, their futures, and the future of the communities where they live.
For far too many students around the world, unfortunately, violence has become an everyday lesson, but together we can change the situation.
If you are a student, parent or teacher, you can take action to create safe environments where children and young people can live and learn without fear.
For students
For parents
For teachers
For students
- Be kind. Strike up a conversation with a shy classmate or quiet coworker. Leave a kind note for someone who needs it. Even something small can improve someone’s day – especially if they are going through something difficult.
- Speak out. If you are worried about your or a friend’s safety, urgently speak to someone you trust – this could be a parent, teacher, close friend, older sibling.
- Deepen your knowledge and take action. Often, becoming a victim or bystander of bullying, children may not understand how to react to it. Ask questions, talk with close people to be prepared.
For parents
Parents have a crucial role to play in preventing and addressing violence in schools. The below pages offer ideas and tips on how to talk to your children, your child’s school and decision-makers about bullying and cyberbullying.
For teachers
- Help create a safe school. School policies, curricula and action plans can proactively create a culture of kindness and inclusion.
- Lead by example. Use positive discipline techniques to manage your classroom.
- Deepen your students’ understanding of violence against children. Discuss bullying with your students and how they can protect themselves from it, as well as help their peers facing it
- Prepare yourself. Do your research about bullying and be prepared to help your students at all times.
- Promote discussion. Try to create an atmosphere of openness and honesty in discussing the topic of bullying.
- Nurture attitudes that reject violence and promote non-violent conflict resolution. With help from students, set norms for behaviour in your classroom. Learn and teach conflict resolution and anger management skills. Help your students practice applying them in everyday life.
- Raise awareness. Make sure that children are aware of the school’s policies and that they know what to do if they experience violence.
- Involve parents. Regularly invite parents to talk with you about their children's progress and any concerns they have.