Partizipation in der Schule

Every child has the right to protection from all forms of violence, regardless of the circumstances. This is laid down in Article 19 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) . Other articles in the CRC refer specifically to the protection of children, however. All these rights to protection aim to protect children from physical or mental violence, sexual assault, neglect, structural violence, child trafficking and economic exploitation. They apply to all children, including especially vulnerable groups such as child refugees and those separated from their families.

Signatory states of the CRC, which include Switzerland and Liechtenstein, are committed to implementing these protective rights and ensuring that the legal foundations and supportive framework conditions are created for the physical and mental integrity of children.

Violence can affect all children and young people. However, those most at risk are young people living with disabilities or chronic illnesses (like HIV and AIDS), suffering from extreme poverty or living in institutions, or children who have run away and are living apart from their families. Sexual orientation, gender identity or affiliation with a socially or ethnically disadvantaged group also increases the likelihood that a child or young person will experience violence.

Globally,

• some 1 in 20 girls between the ages of 15 and 19 – around 13 million globally – have experienced forced sex in their lifetimes.
• about 10% of the world's children are not legally protected from corporal punishment.
• more than 1 in 3 students aged 13–15 experience bullying.
• 1 in 4 children (176 million) under the age of 5 live with a mother who has been a recent victim of intimate partner violence.
• roughly 3 in 4 children between the ages of 2 and 4 – around 300 million – are regularly subjected to violent discipline by their caregivers.

You’ll find more on the global situation of children and young people in connection with child protection, and UNICEF’s response, here.

No matter what form of violence a young person is exposed to, the experience can lead to serious, lifelong consequences. Violence can result in physical injuries, sexually transmitted diseases, anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, unwanted pregnancy and even death. There is also evidence that stress from violence in early childhood can permanently impair brain development and damage other parts of the nervous system.

Long-term effects on the behavior of children and young people include aggression and a heightened propensity for violence, drug abuse, risky sexual behavior and crime.

Violence has enormous impacts on human health and development. Nevertheless, this problem often remains “hidden in plain sight,” as the majority of those affected rarely seek help due to feelings of fear or shame, and the subject remains “off-limits.”