This campaign had as its objective to challenge the culture of complacency surrounding violence against children in school. In fact, in many countries, the use of violence in school is justifiable as ‘normal’ discipline and a way of establishing and maintaining hierarchical relations between teachers and students and between boys and girls. In West and Central Africa, where violence in schools has reached alarming rates (see the report "Learning without fear" published by Plan), the campaign mainly focuses on corporal punishment and sexual violence.

A series of meetings and programmes was then presented and disseminated among the media to introduce the campaign and alert governments, teachers, pupils and their parents, NGOs and the media, of the urgency to call a halt to this phenomenon which has infected the educational milieu, detracting from children’s quality of education and which risks affecting social stability in the sub-region.

- Note in particular :

• A round-table broadcast on 7 October on Africable on "Corporal punishment, sexual abuse and exploitation in school : what is to be done ?"
• The programme devoted to violence in school in "l’Ecole des savoirs" (The school of knowledge) broadcast on RFI on 31 October (listen to the programme in French)
• The appearance of the Communication Adviser from Plan WARO in the programme Appels sur l’actualité de RFI (Calls on RFI Current Affairs) on 19 September 2008 (listen to the talk in French)
• Special programmes were made and broadcast in all the countries where the campaign was launched
• The last edition of the Pan-African magazine Planète Jeunes (No. 95, October-November 2008) also featured an article on violence.

Violence in school : a violation of Rights of the Child and a major obstacle to school education

Corporal punishment in school can take several forms : teachers hit, burn or scald children, or even force them to sit for long periods in uncomfortable positions. In many countries, even when corporal punishment is forbidden, laws protecting children are rarely enforced.

Corporal punishment has a detrimental effect on children’s learning who have less chance of success. Those victims of corporal punishment are also most at risk of dropping out of the educational system. In the worst case scenario, corporal punishment can cause physical injury or even lead to death, suicide, depression or alcoholism.

As regards exploitation and sexual violence in school, it is girls who are most vulnerable, and they are often faced with a double threat from both male teachers and pupils.

Sexual abuse of a transactional style is a specific problem in African schools : many girls are victims of blackmail by male teachers demanding sexual favours in exchange for good marks (the famous "sexually transmitted marks"), school books and materials, food or help with school work.

The causes of sexual violence vary considerably, but the behaviour of teachers and traditional kinds of stereotypes are key factors. By not taking sexual abuse complaints seriously, teachers and school authorities promote the message that sexual abuse is tolerated.

Victims of sexual violence suffer from physical and psychological trauma and run the risk of acquiring sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. In addition, this has serious repercussions on their health (the consequences of unwanted pregnancies), young girls can become victims of social stigma or be forced to drop out of school.

To find out more about …

 Violence in school :

• Look at the Plan campaign website "Learn without fear"
• Read the Plan report "Learn without fear"
• Read the leaflet "Break the silence : prevent sexual exploitation and abuse in and around schools in Africa"

 Violence against children :

• Read the United Nations report study on violence against children (2006) and look at the website The UN study on violence against children
• Look at the comic strip "Lucky star"
• Listen to radio sketches "The beaten children" and "The protective star"