Our Work

• Child Centred Community Development
• Areas of Work
• Program Countries
• Child Sponsorship
• Priority Projects
• Campaigns
  • From Cup to Crop
  • Learn Without Fear
  • Because I am a Girl: The State of the World's Girls
  • Universal Birth Registration
• Teachers and Schools

Learn Without Fear

Cruel and humiliating forms of psychological punishment, gender-based violence and bullying remain a daily reality for millions of children.

Every child has the right to a safe school environment. The Learn Without Fear campaign aims to end violence against children in all schools.

Why is the campaign needed?

Every child has the right to a safe school environment yet:

• Each year, more than 350 million children around the world experience violence in schools
• Corporal punishment is still legal in 32 countries in which Plan works even though it is against the Convention on the Rights of the Child
• 61 countries in which Plan works still have no laws to protect children from bullying
• Where legislation does exist, it is often not enforced
• At its worst, school violence can lead to permanent physical injury or death.

Plan's vision is of a world where children can go to school in safety and expect a quality learning experience without fear or threats of violence. The campaign aims to ensure that:

• People who hurt children are punished
  
• Children can safely report incidents and victims get care and support
• Children are recognised as partners in addressing violence in schools
• Governments commit significant resources (eg for teacher training and data collection) to tackle the problem
• International organisations such as UN agencies and development banks help governments to tackle the issues
• Pupils, parents, teachers and the community work together to expel violence from schools.

What will Plan do?

The campaign focuses on the 66 countries in which Plan operates, but aims to impact on the lives of children beyond Plan's direct reach.

Building on program expertise in school improvement and child protection, we will:

• work with governments to develop and enforce laws against school violence,
  
• work in alliances to develop reporting and referral systems for affected children and
  
• work with teachers and parents to discipline children without using violence.

Be a part of it

Visit the official Learn Without Fear campaign website to learn more and to access the campaign report and resources.

About Plan

Plan is one of the oldest and largest children's development organisations in the world. We work with communities in 50 developing countries and raise funds to support our work in 21 countries like Australia. By actively involving children, and working at a grassroots level with no religious or political agenda, we unite and inspire people around the globe to transform the world for children.