Comprehensive response to violence in schools in Latin America is called for

Laura Poy Solano

The newspaper La Jornada
Sunday, July 28, 2024, p. 6

In Latin America and the Caribbean, violence within schools and in educational settings has become a priority issue that requires comprehensive responses, since far exceeds the classroom contextsaid Costa Rica’s Minister of Education, Anna Katharina Müller Marín.

At the second meeting of the Regional Consultation for the Prevention and Addressing of Violence in Education, specialists pointed out that Every year, millions of children and young people face violence on their way to, from, in and around schools, including in digital environments..

They pointed out that two out of five sixth grade students have been victims of bullying and at least one in eight have suffered physical aggression. Added to this is the fact that minors who do not conform to gender norms or belong to indigenous peoples, migrant communities or ethnic groups are often at greater risk of violence and discrimination.

In the context of the consultation, experts from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) pointed out that gender violence in schools disproportionately affects girls and manifests itself in cyberbullying, violence and sexual exploitation.

They acknowledged that while boys are more likely to experience physical bullying, They also face expectations and gender violence.

Cristián Bravo, associate programme coordinator for UNESCO’s Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, stressed that the factors that trigger violence in schools are multiple, and include everything from poverty, inequality and social injustice to the domestic violence faced by students.

The governments of El Salvador and Costa Rica outlined the various actions they are taking to curb this phenomenon in their classrooms, which extends to practically all countries in the region, particularly those where violence in various social, economic and political spheres is most exacerbated.

Regional authorities from the educational sector and various civil organizations agreed that although violence It affects countries differently, its expressions and impacts have similarities that offer the opportunity to launch coordinated and joint actions..

UNESCO is therefore planning to prepare an analysis and proposal document to promote the construction of comprehensive and joint solutions that will allow this scourge to be eradicated from educational spaces and school environments.

They emphasized that violence against children inside and outside schools is influenced by multiple interrelated factors, such as gender inequalities, social norms and behaviors that normalize violence as a means of discipline, negative school climate and criminal violence.