“School should be a place of learning, friendship, and dreams, yet for most, it’s a place of fear.” 

Tara Hendricks, Chairperson of the Summit

This child-led conference aims to foster dialogue between policymakers and children themselves. The young delegates shared and discussed challenges that threaten education in Africa, where violence remains a major obstacle affecting children’s physical and mental wellbeing and preventing them from reaching their full learning potential. The children used this critical space to call on governments to take action and protect their rights. They emphasized the need for safer schools and play areas, an end to bullying and violence in the classroom, and access to technology that supports their learning without harming them.

The event was co-hosted by the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund and the South African government led by the Department of Social Development. The space culminated in a children’s outcome statement highlighting what these children want and will continue to advocate for from their governments.  

“We want to feel safe at home and at school. No bullying. No hitting. No abuse. There should be people to help when things go wrong. Teachers and parents must learn how to treat children with love and respect.”

Children’s Outcome Statement, Africa Children’s Summit

Briefing Session by the Coalition for Good Schools

Prior to the Summit, members of the Coalition for Good Schools held a briefing session with child delegates to share information about school violence, examples of effective programmes to prevent and respond to violence, and the work that the Coalition is doing to focus attention on this issue on the continent. 

The session was chaired by Tara Hendricks, Chairperson of the Africa Children’s Summit 2025, and included presentations by Professor Shanaaz Mathews (University of Cape Town), Yvonne Laruni (Raising Voices, Uganda) and Stella Ayo-Odongo (Coalition for Good Schools, Africa Hub).

Professor Shanaaz Mathews (University of Cape Town) outlined the various forms and drivers of school violence—ranging from bullying and harassment to physical and sexual assault—often rooted in harmful gender norms and power imbalances. She highlighted how factors such as school culture, domestic violence, and community violence contribute to this issue, and how school violence undermines learning, mental health, and long-term outcomes. However, she noted that schools can also serve as powerful platforms for prevention of violence through whole-school approaches involving educators, learners, families, and communities.

Yvonne Laruni (Raising Voices) shared lessons from implementing the Good Schools Toolkit in diverse settings in Uganda, emphasizing that school-based violence is preventable—even in the short term. Key to success is engaging the whole-school to promote safe and conducive physical and psychological environments, providing alternatives to corporal punishment in the form of positive discipline, and by co-creating a culture of respect and accountability between girls and boys, and between children and adults. Sustainable change requires engaging all layers of a child’s ecosystem—teachers, peers, parents, communities, and policymakers.

Stella Ayo-Odongo (Coalition for Good Schools, Africa Hub) stressed the importance of advocacy to drive change. She called for targeted initiatives addressing violence, promoting gender equality, and preventing exploitation, while urging coalitions of diverse voices to push for children’s rights and social equity. Impactful advocacy, she noted, should aim for lasting change at both national and regional levels.

“We, the children of Africa, have shared our voices and ideas. We want our leaders and governments to make sure that every child can go to school, feel safe, be included, and have a bright future.”

Children’s Outcome Statement, Africa Children’s Summit

At the Africa Children’s Summit, children were split up into breakaway groups which had been formed based on their province, country or region. Each group had multiple members discussing all six thematic topics chosen for the summit, with the topic of violence against children (VAC) in particular drawing a significant number of responses.

Children described their own experiences of VAC in many ways, including corporal punishment, physical, sexual and emotional abuse, as well as a broader culture of violence in schools. Forced child labour was also mentioned, with one of the participants from Kenya sharing: “We are forced to work so that we can add on to what our parents are providing.” 

Tara Hendricks, the Chairperson of the Summit, mentioned the alarming reality that many children continue to face violence in schools across Africa. She stressed that “school should be a place of learning, friendship, and dreams, yet for most, it’s a place of fear.” Tara emphasised the importance of stronger laws, trained counsellors, and trauma-informed teachers to help with situations of violence in schools and in homes.

Children deserve teachers who discipline with kindness, not violence. The following section summarises the outcomes asked for by the children taking part in the summit.

“We, the children of Africa, have shared our voices and ideas. We want our leaders and governments to make sure that every child can go to school, feel safe, be included, and have a bright future. Here’s what we ask for:  

End Violence and Keep Us Safe

We want to feel safe at home and at school. No bullying. No hitting. No abuse. There should be people to help when things go wrong. Teachers and parents must learn how to treat children with love and respect. National governments should ratify treaties and put laws in place against child and early marriages, and they should be practiced.

Better School Buildings and Facilities

Schools that are safe and comfortable with safe places to play.

Stop Unfair Treatment and Bad Traditions

We want everyone to be treated fairly, and for harmful traditions to stop.

Technology That Helps, Not Harms

We want access to safe and useful internet and digital tools to help us learn. But we also want to stay safe online. Children should be taught how to use AI and the internet in a good way, and adults should help protect us from harm. Protect children against pornography and negative media. #safeuseofAI

You can access the full Children’s Outcome Statement here, and let us all work together to move beyond lip-service to child participation and leadership, and ensure that children continue to be seen, heard and engaged! #SeenHeardAndEngaged

Many of the reflections shared in the Coalition briefing session draw from the Coalition’s recent brief “What is the evidence telling us about preventing violence against children in and through schools in sub-Saharan Africa?” led by Professor Shanaaz Mathews and her team at University of Cape Town, which you can access alongside the full report and summary on the Coalition for Good Schools’ Resources Page here.