violence against children WORLD REPORT ON - CRIN

“If they [kids] are beaten at home, they are going to beat, that is, if their parents ill-treatthem or don’t talk to them, kids will beat others because they are beaten.They are going to drag with them what they see at home. This is the basis of violence.”Adolescent girls, Latin America, 2005 X132Violence against children in schools and educational settingsnised by their high self-esteem, internal locusof control, optimism and clear aspirations,achievement and goal-orientation, reflectionand problem-solving capacity, healthy communicationpatterns, and the capacity to seekout mentoring adult relationships.” 131Schools can play a critical role in buildingchildren’s resilience and feelings of well-being,which have also been linked to the reducedlikelihood of being victimised. 132 Adults andpeers in children’s families and communitiesbegin building, or failing to build, children’sresilience from birth. Good parenting in stablefamily units is critical. The power of earlyparent–child bonds established within warmand supportive family relationships, along withhigh levels of parental care during early childhood,are important in building resilience. 133But even when families or communities fail,schools can compensate, especially when theyprovide strong support from the early years.Schools can also provide bridges betweenchildren and their families and communities,helping families and communities to understandhow they affect children and to acquirethe skills to become more supportive.Studies from Australia suggest the importanceof comprehensive and whole of schoolapproaches in reducing risk factors and increasingprotective factors simultaneously. Supportfrom teachers, parents and other adults hasbeen identified as important, as well as havingsupportive peers and belonging to supportivepro-social groups. Such a whole of schoolapproach has also shown improvements in studentmental health. 134,135Many of the protective factors identified inother settings are also relevant to the schoolenvironment, although research across internationalcontexts is lacking. For example, relationshipswith caring and mentoring adultsappear to promote resilience through modellingof pro-social behaviour, providing guidance,and offering protection – all of whichgood teachers do on a daily basis. 136 . Havingthe perception that clear sanctions will followtransgressions at school is also protective,underlining the importance of having clearcodes of conduct and making sure they areenforced. In addition, schools can promote thedevelopment of strong peer group and socialbonds to build resilience, as well as buildempathy, conflict management skills and criticalthinking. 137,138Systematic responseto patterns of violenceWhile support from their families and peersis critical to making children less vulnerableto violence in schools, an increasing body ofresearch confirms that the systematic attentionto the behaviour of the school heads, teachersand other school staff is also critical. If theyengage in abusive behaviour and show disrespectfor the rights, comfort and safety ofothers, then children will follow their example.Many North American studies have founda direct correlation between their lack of firmintervention and the prevalence of violenceamong children. 139 A study in Yemen foundthe same correlation. 140 Studies in Botswanaand Ghana have found that when teachers toleratesex segregation and tension between the