Teachers and gender-based violence: school as an educational stronghold but more tools and training are needed

Entering then more concretely - and therefore into the work that takes place every day in the classroom - another strong fact emerges in a transversal manner concerning the need for training on the part of those who teach (more than 70% state that receiving training is important). Almost 80% of the respondents declare that they have not received specific training on these issues but that they strongly desire it, asking, in particular, for tools to recognise the signs of violence, to know how to intervene correctly and to learn how to design educational paths that address the issue in a conscious and non-episodic manner. A need that resonates clearly and that demonstrates the willingness and commitment that many teachers intend to put into discussing in the classroom issues that traditionally do not belong to the school dimension, but are instead fundamental in the store of knowledge and sensitivity of a citizen and a citizenry.

With regard to talking about violence in the classroom, positive experiences and practices are already widespread: almost 70 per cent of teachers say they do so mainly on significant days such as 25 November (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women) and 8 March (International Women's Day), or following particularly heartfelt news events (more than 60 per cent); a smaller percentage, on the other hand, choose to integrate it transversally into their teaching, through literature, civic education or meetings with experts and witnesses, in an attempt to make reflection part of everyday education.Besides, teachers and lecturers state that they are already familiar with this topic: among the best known types of violence are psychological (96%), physical (88%) and economic (75%), although, surprisingly, the least known is witnessing violence (35%), which corresponds to the child experiencing any form of ill-treatment - physical, verbal, psychological, sexual, economic and persecutory acts carried out on reference figures or other affectively significant figures, adults or minors. In addition, attention was also drawn to online violence and cyberbullying, phenomena that are increasingly intertwined with relational dynamics among young people. More than half of the respondents (65%) stated that they had come into contact with situations of violence either in their personal lives or in their professional careers as teachers; with regard to the latter, in particular, the majority of teachers said that they had become aware of episodes or situations of violence through stories told by students or colleagues. The majority of teachers said that they had come into contact with situations of violence through stories told by students or colleagues

On the other hand, on the perception that female students have of violence, the situation appears somewhat different: teachers state that most consider the topic serious and relevant (almost 60%), but show difficulty in recognising the boundaries between acceptable and violent behaviour (almost 40%). Moreover, almost 50% point out that girls generally appear to be more sensitised than their male peers, a sign of a still unequal perception of the problem.

Commenting on the survey, Mario Mariani, Managing Director of Sanoma Italia, said: "This survey and its results allow us to draw attention to a topic that we consider very important and on which we want to activate concrete lines of action. Through this project, we aim to meet the need for support of teachers who play a key role in educating students in a culture of equality and respect from the earliest years of school. Teachers are at the centre of the school, and investing in their training on the topic is a commitment of utmost importance for us."

Manuela Ulivi, president of CADMI, states: 'The research shows how often teachers face violence in their daily work and how strong is the need for adequate tools to recognise it and intervene correctly. Training those who train is an essential step: it means putting school teachers and professionals in a position to rethink their own ideas on violence, and thus to better accompany male and female students in changing the culture that lies at the root of gender-based violence. The school is one of the crucial places of cultural change: it is there that the profound transformation we need to overcome male violence against women can take place'.