Escalating Assaults on Educators: School Officials Issue Urgent Warnings
Over the past five years, there has been a significant increase in violence against teachers, particularly in high-violence regions such as South Africa. This alarming trend, which includes physical assaults, verbal abuse, and sexual misconduct, has been highlighted by the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) in South Africa, who reported close to 170 cases of sexual misconduct involving teachers and learners between 2022 and 2024 [1].
Perpetrators and Victims
The perpetrators of this violence are not limited to students but also include colleagues and community members around schools. Girls are disproportionately affected by school-related gender-based violence (SRGBV), suffering higher rates of sexual abuse. This violence also affects teachers who intervene or are otherwise involved in these environments [1].
Prevalence in South Africa
In South Africa, SRGBV remains alarmingly high, with high violence levels in homes and communities spilling over into schools. Multi-sectoral programs are being implemented to create safe environments and protect both students and teachers. These programs involve social welfare, justice, education systems, communities, and homes [1].
Prevention and Support
Prevention efforts include equipping adolescents with life skills for safer transitions into adulthood, combined with addressing legal, cultural, and social norms that perpetuate violence and inequality. Capacity strengthening in social justice and education sectors focuses on care, support, and protection services aimed at adolescents and school staff [1].
Awareness and reporting mechanisms are crucial, along with community involvement to ensure a holistic approach. Shockingly, almost one in five school principals reported that school authorities did not want to record cases of violence [1].
Global Context
Challenges related to policy and legal frameworks that indirectly affect teachers’ ability to address systemic issues within schools have been noted in contexts like the U.S., though direct statistics on increased violence against teachers are less prominent from recent data [2][3].
Call for Action
In Germany, Gerhard Brand, federal chairman of the VBE, has called for politics to take the protection of teachers seriously and implement targeted measures to ensure school safety. He has expressed concern about the high level of violence against teachers and has demanded that municipalities be held more accountable and that financial support for school security measures be increased [4].
Only about half of the schools have a second alarm signal for emergencies, and only about half of the school principals felt they could adequately support affected teachers. Insufficient support for affected teachers is often due to unrepentant perpetrators, bureaucratic hurdles, or lack of support from school authorities [4].
In 79% of cases of psychological violence, the perpetrators were parents. Preventive work is hardly possible in many schools due to staff shortages [4].
Conclusion
Prevention and support rely heavily on integrated community and institutional programs focused on legal, social, and educational reforms to foster safer school environments. It is crucial for politics and education systems worldwide to address this rising issue and prioritise the safety and wellbeing of teachers and students.
[1] Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC), South Africa. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://elrc.org.za/ [2] National Centre for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/ [3] U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/index.html [4] Verband Bildung und Erziehung (VBE), Germany. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.vbe.de/
Education-and-self-development and politics intersect in Germany, where Gerhard Brand, federal chairman of the VBE, has called for political action to enhance the safety of teachers. He highlighted the concern about the elevated levels of violence against teachers and demanded that municipalities be held accountable and that school security measures be improved with increased financial support [4].
General-news reports indicate that various forms of violence, including physical assaults, verbal abuse, sexual misconduct, and school-related gender-based violence (SRGBV), have escalated in high-violence regions such as South Africa. These incidents affect not just students but also teachers and even bystanders such as colleagues and community members around schools [1].
