Author: Save the Children Sweden
Title: Violence Against Children in Schools: A Regional Analysis of Lebanon, Morocco and Yemen
Summary: The project “Manara Network: A Civil Society for Child Rights” is a three-year project funded by the Swedish International Development Agency and implemented by Save the Children Sweden (SCS) in collaboration with the International Bureau for Children’s Rights (IBCR). The project aims at establishing a Regional Child Rights Network of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region with the objectives of supporting and strengthening the capacity of local CSOs in four main components: analysis and reporting, coordination and networking, advocacy and child rights programming mainstreaming. After an inception phase between September 2008 and March 2009, four partners were identified to implement the first phase of the project: the Lebanese Association for Education and Training (ALEF) and Developmental Action without Borders (Naba’a) (both based in Lebanon); the Moroccan non-governmental organisation (NGO) Bayti, and SOUL for Development in Yemen. The network aims to expand to 17 countries in the MENA region. To date, members of Manara come from Lebanon, Yemen, Morocco, Jordan, the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) and Iraq. The first phase of the component on analysis and reporting included the creation of Country Profiles on the status of the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) by local organisations in their respective country. This component has two objectives: strengthening the capacity of organisations in conducting research on children’s rights, and producing a report that provides an overview of the status of child rights in each given country. The report aims to identify gaps and challenges on the status of implementation of the CRC, highlight the recommendations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child on specific matters and identify commendable practices adopted by the State, civil society and the international community to address those issues. For the second phase of the component on analysis and reporting, the four partners (Alef, Naba’a, Soul and Bayti) chose to focus their attention on a common problem they identified in their respective country profiles: violence against children in schools. They conducted an in-depth analysis of the topic, including a literature review and interviews with relevant stakeholders. The first stage of the research on violence against children in schools started in July 2010. Each organisation produced a national study that reviewed the prevalence of violence against children in schools and the recommendations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, and identified the commendable practices implemented in its country by the State, civil society and international organisations in preventing and addressing this issue. The research examined violent acts that are committed by teachers and administrative staff towards students. The study covered physical, psychological and sexual violence. The study also aimed at analysing violence between peers within the school setting; however, very little data on this subject was available and, therefore, this aspect of violence against children could not be included in this analysis. Furthermore, the few studies available addressed the problem of violence in general rather than specifically within the school setting. Each partner conducted a literature review to identify existing research on the topic, followed by field research involving a series of interviews with identified stakeholders. These interviews contributed to filling the gaps identified through the desk research. These two phases of research allowed partners to paint a clearer picture of school-based violence in their respective countries, the legislative and institutional framework regulating education and ensuring protection and responses to this phenomenon by governmental and non-governmental actors. In December 2010, the second stage of the research process began. National sections were compiled and the four partners along with IBCR came together in a workshop to analyse the information. The data was then divided into four main areas of responses or practices identified by local partners: initiatives toward prevention, legislation and initiatives to end impunity; - initiatives in monitoring, reporting, and research; and services provided to victims. By the end of January 2011, partners had finalised the report and produced an analysis of results in each realm of intervention, as well as making recommendations for various stakeholders. The study includes initiatives implemented from the latest Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child until December 2010.
Details: Beirut: Save the Children Sweden, Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa, 2011. 122p.
Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 1, 2011 at: http://65.39.174.116/editor/assets/Violence%20against%20Children%20in%20Schools.pdf
Year: 2011
Country: International
URL:
Shelf Number: 123200
Keywords:
Children, Crimes AgainstSchool Violence (Lebanon, Morocco, Yemen) |
