About four in 10 Filipino schoolchildren in Grades 1 to 3, and seven out of 10 kids both in Grades 4 to 6 and high school expressed that they have experienced some kind of violence in school, a study conducted among public schools in the country was revealed on Tuesday.

In a 106-page study titled “Towards a Child-Friendly Education Environment: A Baseline Study on Violence against Children in Public Schools” offers a baseline study on violence against children in the public school settings and gives insight and evidence-based information to aid legislators, media practitioners, and the public on the sensitive topic of violence against children (VAC).

The study was conducted among 6,931 child-respondents in 173 public schools nationwide. Areas that were covered were Manila, Cebu City, Davao City, Mountain Province, Masbate, Camotes Island in Cebu, Northern Samar, Capiz, and Sultan Kudarat. The study was also part of the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

UNICEF defined violence against children as “any act that violates children’s rights, particularly their right to physical and mental health, security and bodily integrity.”

As shown in the study, all forms of violence are happening in schools, while acts of violence experienced by children increase in frequency as child moves up to higher grade levels.

It said verbal abuse is the most prevalent form of violence experienced by children at all school levels, which includes being shouted at and being cursed, ridiculed, teased, or humiliated.

It also said male children are more likely to experience physical violence than female children.

The study initiated by the Philippine Women’s University (PWU) was done in collaboration with the Plan International, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and Department of Education (DepEd).

“One of the goals of a child-friendly school is to ensure that children are safe and healthy. As this report shows, many children do not feel that way. More than half of the children in the survey had experienced some form of violence in school,” UNICEF country representative Vanessa Tobin said.

Based on study, aside from physical violence that result in injury, there are other violent acts such as spanking, beating, pinching or slapping, that have been tolerated or “socialized” as acceptable ways to discipline children.

Social Welfare and Development Secretary Dinky Soliman reiterated the need for schools to serve as sanctuary that should provide for the integral development in a child’s socialization process.

“It is in schools where memories are made and dreams are built,” she said however “different forms of violence have become one of the factors for dropping out. We must work for a violent-free society for our children,” Soliman said.

“They have no way to report or ask for help. One of the most important aspects of school is to encourage children to imagine and to dream that will shape their future; but it will not happen in an environment of fear and violence,” she added.