Learn Without Fear launches in Nairobi

Deepali Khanna addressing the Learn Without Fear campaign launch event

7 October 2008: Plan has launched Learn Without Fear, the campaign to end violence against children in schools, across east and southern Africa at a special event in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

More than 300 guests attended the launch – including government officials from across the region, non-governmental organisations and local and international media.

Unacceptable and unlawful

Addressing the event, Plan’s regional director for East and Southern Africa Deepali Khanna explained that the campaign is intended to send a clear message across societies that any form of violence against children is unacceptable and unlawful.

Deepali said the challenge of ending violence against children requires a multidisciplinary approach combining strong responsive and preventive strategies which focus on the 4 ‘Ps’:

• Protection of children
• Prevention of violence
• Prosecution of criminals
• Participation of children.

Call for action

“Efforts to prevent and respond to violence against children must be multi-faceted and adjusted according to the form of violence, its setting and the perpetrator or perpetrators. Whatever the action taken, the best interests of the child must always be the primary consideration. No violence against children is justifiable,” she said.

Deepali urged governments to invest in evidence-based policies and programmes to address factors that give rise to violence against children.

Partner support

The president of Education International, Thulas Nxesi, said his organisation was committed to working with Plan to ensure the success of the campaign. Education International is a body that represents 30,000,000 teachers in the world.

Mr Nxesi said his organisation would work with law enforcement agencies to weed out “those few teachers” involved in violence against children. 

Representatives of the Kenyan government, a Member of Parliament from Sudan and child speakers called for an immediate end to violence through the enforcement of law that deters violence on children. 

Find out more about Learn Without Fear and get involved.

Read Plan’s Learn Without Fear report, the most comprehensive global examination of school violence yet (available in English, French and Spanish).