UN takes on Learn Without Fear recommendations

Many Learn Without Fear campaign asks have been integrated into new UN recommendations as a result of lobbying by Plan at the 55th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). Plan hosted and chaired a panel discussion attended by over 200 people. The panel included the UN Special Representative on violence against children, the Swedish ambassador and other international experts, and was moderated by Plan's campaign coordinator Emily Laurie.

The CSW conclusions document incorporates core policy and programme recommendations made by the campaign since its launch in 2008. These include:

• A clear acceptance of the link between violence against girls and their ability to complete their education
• Calls for new legislation to end violence in schools against girls
• Calls for infrastructural improvements to end violence against girls on their way to school and in schools
• Calls for teacher training to eliminate violence against girls in schools

All United Nations Member States have accepted this document, and so they are committed to taking forward these recommendations within their own national context.

This is a great result for Plan’s Learn Without Fear campaign which has shown excellent results through its programme and advocacy work; over 390million children being better protected as a result of legislative changes brought about by Plan’s lobbying. These initiatives are critical to the success of the Millennium Development Goals, which cannot be achieved without eliminating violence in schools.

March 2011