Council of Europe in partnership with UNESCO produced a comprehensive analysis of how education sectors respond to sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics, ie. SOGIESC-based violence in Council of Europe member States, including recommendations for governments how to improve their policies and response to SOGIESC-based violence. The target group of this report goes beyond public policy makers and governments and can be used by educational professionals as well, to make the schools safer and more accessible to all students. The report starts with analyzing the forms of SOGIESC-based violence, the impact and extent it has on educations systems in Europe. The relevant European legal frameworks are provided, followed by an overview on how different educational sectors in Europe respond to this phenomenon. Finally, recommendations are outlined to help governments and other relevant actors to effectively respond and address SOGIESC-based violence in schools. Based on the report, some of the key actions to be taken in this regard are related to:
- Ensuring proper monitoring systems and procedures are in place to identify the cases of SOGIESC-based violence in schools and provided basis for evidence-based response
- As the nest step, evidence-based policies should be put in place to address SOGIESC-based violence in particular
- Curricula should be revised to remove discriminatory and prejudicial content and provide non-judgmental information about sexual and gender diversity
- Teachers and other staff in education system should receive necessary training
- Information campaigns on equality and non-discrimination should be implemented within different educational communities
- Partnering with civil sector organizations to reach all relevant actors and join efforts in combating SOGIESC-based violence
- Finally, continues evaluation is essential to measure the progress achieved and identify areas where additional efforts are needed