Plan works with teenagers to eradicate school violence in Germany
No country is immune to violence in schools
Violence against children in schools affects both developing and developed countries. For example, recent research undertaken in the USA showed 30% of schoolchildren are directly affected by bullying every semester. Germany is no exception. Data from 2005 showed 6.2% of all students had suffered from some form of sexual abuse.
Since the launch of the Learn Without Fear global campaign, Plan Germany has been funding projects to eliminate violence in schools across Africa, Asia and Latin America. They have also brought together information from such projects to create a manual which sets out exercises and activities to eliminate school violence.
Learn Without Fear in Germany
In 2010, Plan Germany started a project which uses the findings from this manual, in schools around Hamburg. This is the first time the campaign is undertaking programme work in a developed country. So far 3,5000 children have been involved in the project which has included: raising awareness around the causes of violence in schools, undertaking a questionnaire and focus groups to better understand the causes of school violence. Responses were compiled into an action plan to eliminate violence in the schools which will be implemented in 2011.
Early results show that the atmosphere of the classes has already improved. Before the programme started 22% of girls were not happy in class; after the sensitisation and questionnaire 65% of those said they felt better.
