16 Days of Activism: UNHCR recognizes importance of access to safe education

News Stories, 25 November 2015

GENEVA, Nov 25 (UNHCR) UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres on Wednesday acknowledged the importance of providing access to safe education to enable children and young people to learn and develop critical skills, and to build their capacities and confidence.

His comments came ahead of a ceremony in Geneva to mark the annual 16 Days of Activism against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence campaign. This year, UNHCR has adopted the global theme, "Peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Make Education Safe for All" and has placed a special focus on young people.

Sexual and gender-based violence, or SGBV, is a violation of human rights and has a long-lasting, detrimental impact on young people's physical and psychological well-being. It invariably has adverse effects on their access to education, as well as their attendance and performance in school although schools themselves, unfortunately, often present very specific SGBV risks to children and young people, Guterres said.

Some estimates place the number of boys and girls who experience school-related violence, including sexual or verbal harassment, non-consensual touching, and rape, as high as 246 million and evidence suggests that girls especially those with disabilities are at even greater risk of sexual violence, harassment, and exploitation.

"Ensuring that learning environments are designed and equipped to prevent and respond to SGBV, including exploitation and abuse in and around schools, is an essential step to meeting prevention goals. Young refugees themselves can make a valuable contribution in preventing SGBV," Guterres said in an address to UNHCR staff.

"For example, UNHCR is supporting approaches where refugees enrolled in tertiary education do not only motivate refugee children to pursue their primary and secondary education, but also play an important role in sensitizing their communities about healthy relationships between learners, teachers and families," he added.

As part of the 16 Days of Activism campaign, UNHCR offices around the world have engaged with children and young people, including through informal discussions and structured activities, and sought their feedback on how to make safe education a reality for all.

The materials that UN refugee agency staff around the world have collected so far send a resounding and clear message: young people value safe education and want all forms of SGBV to end. A selection of these messages such as drawings and stories will be displayed at Headquarters during the campaign.

"I am impressed by how actively engaged UNHCR staff have already been in this important campaign, and I applaud the wide range of activities that have been planned to raise awareness about safe education," Guterres said.

Given that access to safe and quality education can have a long-lasting positive impact on the lives of children and young people, their families and their communities, Guterres said the refugee agency must continue to work closely with all relevant actors and especially children and young people to ensure that we end SGBV in all its forms.

Among refugees advocating for safe education is Syrian teenager Muzon, who speaks out on the need for displaced children in Jordan to continue their schooling. You can read her story here

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Education

Education is vital in restoring hope and dignity to young people driven from their homes.

DAFI Scholarships

The German-funded Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative provides scholarships for refugees to study in higher education institutes in many countries.

Chad: Education in Exile

UNHCR joins forces with the Ministry of Education and NGO partners to improve education for Sudanese refugees in Chad.

The ongoing violence in Sudan's western Darfur region has uprooted two million Sudanese inside the country and driven some 230,000 more over the border into 12 refugee camps in eastern Chad.

Although enrolment in the camp schools in Chad is high, attendance is inconsistent. A shortage of qualified teachers and lack of school supplies and furniture make it difficult to keep schools running. In addition, many children are overwhelmed by household chores, while others leave school to work for local Chadian families. Girls' attendance is less regular, especially after marriage, which usually occurs by the age of 12 or 13. For boys and young men, attending school decreases the possibility of recruitment by various armed groups operating in the area.

UNHCR and its partners continue to provide training and salaries for teachers in all 12 refugee camps, ensuring a quality education for refugee children. NGO partners maintain schools and supply uniforms to needy students. And UNICEF is providing books, note pads and stationary. In August 2007 UNHCR, UNICEF and Chad's Ministry of Education joined forces to access and improve the state of education for Sudanese uprooted by conflict in Darfur.

UNHCR's ninemillion campaign aims to provide a healthy and safe learning environment for nine million refugee children by 2010.

Chad: Education in Exile

Education for Displaced Colombians

UNHCR works with the government of Colombia to address the needs of children displaced by violence.

Two million people are listed on Colombia's National Register for Displaced People. About half of them are under the age of 18, and, according to the Ministry of Education, only half of these are enrolled in school.

Even before displacement, Colombian children attending school in high-risk areas face danger from land mines, attacks by armed groups and forced recruitment outside of schools. Once displaced, children often lose an entire academic year. In addition, the trauma of losing one's home and witnessing extreme violence often remain unaddressed, affecting the child's potential to learn. Increased poverty brought on by displacement usually means that children must work to help support the family, making school impossible.

UNHCR supports the government's response to the educational crisis of displaced children, which includes local interventions in high-risk areas, rebuilding damaged schools, providing school supplies and supporting local teachers' organizations. UNHCR consults with the Ministry of Education to ensure the needs of displaced children are known and planned for. It also focuses on the educational needs of ethnic minorities such as the Afro-Colombians and indigenous people.

UNHCR's ninemillion campaign aims to provide a healthy and safe learning environment for nine million refugee children by 2010.

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UNHCR aims to help 25,000 refugee children go to school in Syria by providing financial assistance to families and donating school uniforms and supplies.

There are some 1.4 million Iraqi refugees living in Syria, most having fled the extreme sectarian violence sparked by the bombing of the Golden Mosque of Samarra in 2006.

Many Iraqi refugee parents regard education as a top priority, equal in importance to security. While in Iraq, violence and displacement made it difficult for refugee children to attend school with any regularity and many fell behind. Although education is free in Syria, fees associated with uniforms, supplies and transportation make attending school impossible. And far too many refugee children have to work to support their families instead of attending school.

To encourage poor Iraqi families to register their children, UNHCR plans to provide financial assistance to at least 25,000 school-age children, and to provide uniforms, books and school supplies to Iraqi refugees registered with UNHCR. The agency will also advise refugees of their right to send their children to school, and will support NGO programmes for working children.

UNHCR's ninemillion campaign aims to provide a healthy and safe learning environment for nine million refugee children by 2010.

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