To commemorate the first International Day against Violence and Bullying at School including Cyberbullying and towards the common goal of eradicating bullying and violence, including cyberbullying, UNESCO organized the webinar on Ending Bullying and Violence at School in Iraq on 11 November 2021. Organized within the framework of the Gendered Approach to Preventing Violent Extremism through Education (GA-PVE-E) project, the webinar brought together representative of the Government of Canada, representatives of the Ministry of Education, Government of Iraq, and finally, representatives of leading Iraqi Civil Society Organizations to discuss and propose solutions to prevent bullying and violence at school.
Background
According to UNESCO’s Behind the Numbers Report, almost one in three students (32%) has been bullied at least once by their peers at school. 36% of students have been involved in a physical fight and 32.4% have been physically attacked at least once in the past year. In Iraq, commendable progress notwithstanding, according to UNICEF, 4 out of 5 children still experience violence at home or in school.
Reiterating the key messages of the same report, school-related violence in all its forms is an infringement of children’s rights to education and well-being. No country can achieve inclusive and equitable quality education for all if learners experience violence and bullying in school. Bullying and violence affects everyone in the society and is a scourge that must be eradicated as soon as possible.
Though education is limited, it can help challenge notions of inevitability attached to bullying and violence at school. Additionally, it can help all actors cultivate the necessary mindsets and competencies necessary to eradicate it. This is the urgency that informed the webinar. The webinar did not only advocate for safe and supportive physical and digital learning spaces but provided concrete tools for actors to prevent bullying and violence in their contexts.
The Webinar
Mr. Santosh Khatri, Chief of Education, UNESCO Iraq Office welcomed the webinar and started the conversations by sharing his personal experiences of difficulties in adaptations in school because of the language and appearances. “Just like me, I guess all of us have memories of being signalled out for being different because of the language, accent, shape and size or economic conditions, other words either bullying or being bullied at school, and how that affected our development and overall wellbeing during, and many years after school,” he remarked. Ms. Rosalee LaPlante, Head of Stabilization, Embassy of Canada to Iraq, reiterated the urgency and importance of eradicating bullying and violence at school, and the zero-tolerance approach of her Government when it comes to these issues. She emphasized the gendered dimension of the issue, and most importantly, the adverse developmental consequences on both the bully and the bullied, and the wider society at large. She also highlighted the urgency especially in the case of learners with disabilities who are far more vulnerable and usually the victims of bullying and violence.
Speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Education, Dr. Fatima Nadhim Mutashar, Chief of Research, and Head of Arabic language Unit at the General Directorate for Curricula, reinforced the need for urgent solutions. She summarized the contextual conceptualizations and manifestations of the problem in Iraq and went to highlight past, current, upcoming initiatives, and the overall efforts of the Ministry of Education to prevent bullying and violence in schools in Iraq. She concluded by calling for a united front against the issues.
Picking up from the opening remarks and initial survey of the issues, Mr. Christophe Cornu, Senior Programme Specialist & Team Leader, Section for Health and Education, UNESCO HQ, Paris, presented the sombre global, regional, and local numbers behind the issue – as encapsulated in UNESCO’s Behind the Numbers Report that he coordinated.
Dr. Hussain Mikawin, Head of Educational Research and Studies Center, and Ms. Muna Mohamed Ahmed, Head of Educational Counselling Department, General Directorate for General, Private and Foreign Education, Ministry of Education, Government of Iraq contextualized Mr. Christophe’s presentation by expanding on Dr. Fatima’s intervention of the subterranean forces behind the numbers – especially the adverse consequences of protracted conflict that has traumatized the whole country, especially its younger population.
With clarity on the problem and its manifestations, the Webinar Moderator, Ms. Roaa Ahmad Shawkat, Educator and Team Member of Ulster University’s Iraq Team that is overseeing research and material development for the UNESCO’s project, redirected the panelists to focus on the solution. Mr. Christophe highlighted the recommendations of the Scientific Committee on Preventing and Addressing School Bullying and Cyberbullying. Dr. Hussain and Ms. Muna mentioned various interventions of the Ministry of Education and emphasized the role of engaging parents, care givers, community and religious leaders. Mr. Ayad Salih, Director, Iraq Institute for Development, reiterated the need to strengthen the capacities of school staff. The speakers went further and shared concrete solutions that the participants could take with them to their contexts and implement to prevent bullying and violence in their own little ways.
As the webinar came to an end, there was consensus that since the causes, manifestations, and consequences of bullying and violence at school are systemic in nature, the solutions must also be systemic, encompassing the whole of society.
Next steps
As part of its ongoing Gendered Approach to Preventing Violent Extremism through Education project, UNESCO and partners will translate global resources and work with the Ministry of Education to contextualize and integrate to reinforce existing guidance materials for capacity strengthening of key education stakeholders. A second webinar will be convened in 2022 to take stock of progress since the first one and keep alive collective reflection and action towards bullying and violence free learning spaces in Iraq and beyond.
Watch the video recording of the webinar HERE
More information:
- International Day against Violence and Bullying at School including Cyberbullying
- Messages for the International day against violence and bullying at school including cyberbullying:
- Stop bullying! People speak out: long version - available with Arabic
- Resources on school violence and bullying
- UNESCO’s work on Prevention of Violent Extremism