School-related violence is widespread, and it adversely affects children’s lives in many ways. But there are many potential entry points for preventing violence in and around schools. Policies, laws, and interventions differ in their design, components, delivery mode, actors involved, and the types of violence targeted and measured.
In this presentation, we share results of a systematic review of interventions, laws, and policies intended to reduce any form of physical, emotional, or sexual violence perpetrated by peers, members of school staff, or those occurring in and around schools. We identify 39 studies across the fields of public health, education, and economics. We find that most evidence is concentrated in high-income countries, focuses on peer-to-peer bullying, and evaluates small-scale, short-term interventions. There is little evidence on the role of enacting and enforcing laws or improving institutional response to violence; instead, evaluated interventions focus on strengthening skills, building knowledge, and addressing restrictive norms to prevent violence. We share examples of programs that have been effective in reducing violence and highlight suggestive evidence on which characteristics of interventions are key to driving change. Finally, we complement our sample of rigorously evaluated studies with promising pathways to combat violence based on pilot studies.
