Every child deserves to be safe in school. However, research shows that across the globe students experience unacceptably high rates of school-related physical, sexual and psychological violence.

This can include teacher-perpetrated abuse, such as corporal punishment or sexual coercion. It can also include peer-perpetrated abuse, like bullying or discrimination. While school environments can enable violence, they also have a critical role to play in violence prevention and response.

Schools can serve as protective spaces for children, acting as an important arena for broader social change to end violence both in and out of the classroom. Read on to learn more about the issue of school-related gender-based violence, and strategies to protect students.

Defining SRGBV

SRGBV violates children’s fundamental rights, is a form of gender discrimination, and has wide-ranging consequences for children’s physical and emotional well-being, school performance and attendance and likelihood of experiencing or perpetrating future violence.

School-Related Gender-Based Violence (SRGBV) is any act or threat of sexual, physical or psychological violence occurring in and around schools, perpetrated as a result of gender norms and stereotypes, and enforced by unequal power dynamics.