violence against children WORLD REPORT ON - CRIN

4Child Rights Clubs empower Zambia’s schoolchildrenThe Zambia Civic Education Association (ZCEA) works to promote and protect children’srights through civic education. Through its Child Participation Programme, itsupports Child Rights Clubs that empower children by raising their awareness of theirrights under the CRC, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child,and other instruments. At least 300 Child Rights Clubs in primary and secondaryschools operate throughout Zambia. 195covering Bangladesh, Kenya, Nepal, Sri Lanka,Uganda, and Zambia found that teaching environmentsthat put children at the centre of thelearning experience, so that teachers listen totheir concerns and needs, are more likely toaddress violence effectively than other schools. 188Another international study by World Visionfound that, in communities where childrenparticipate in discussing and addressing violence,discussion is more open and more likelyto result in specific strategies. 189Save the Children has had a number of firsthandexperiences working with partners in theestablishment and support of child-led organisationsand initiatives whereby children hold adultdecision-makers and caregivers accountable,and work with them on addressing school violence.190 Research in the USA suggests that thebest initiatives tend to be those in which studentsand teachers work together on developing andimplementing strategies to make schools safe foreveryone. Peer mediation and peer counselling,for example, are more effective when studentsand teachers work together in developing andassessing appropriate mediation and counsellingmethods. 191Exploratory studies and experience in all regionshave identified benefits, some unexpected, ofinvolving children in the development andimplementation of programmes to addressviolence in schools. 192 Children can provide acomprehensive snapshot of their experience ofviolence in their schools, thus giving staff informationthey need to take action. Involving childrenserves as effective intervention in itself, inthat it helps to heal children through the disclosureof experiences and sharing of feelings, andit teaches the staff about children’s experiencesand feelings, and this in turn changes staff attitudesand behaviours. 193,194Working with parentsand communitiesMany countries have a tradition of involvingparents and communities in school life.In North America, there is a long traditionof Parent–Teachers’ Associations (PTAs).Typically, these have branches in every publicschool within a community, plus an umbrellaPTA covering the whole community, and theyenable parents’ rights to monitor schools andintervene as they see fit. In the USA, the Safe145Violence against children in schools and educational settings