A/HRC/19/64 • The development of a monitoring system, through which incidents and issues of concern are periodically reviewed; and • The dissemination of anti-bullying messages in the community at large. The lessons learned from anti-bullying programmes provide a crucial reference to address other forms of violence in schools. Partnering with children 52. School- and system-wide interventions encourage change in attitudes and social norms that condone violence, including its use as a form of discipline. They also help to promote a culture of tolerance, respect and non-violence and as a result, prevent violence, help to reduce school absenteeism and drop-outs, improve academic achievement, and enhance children‘s social skills and well-being. It is critical to partner with children: it helps to counter the invisibility of violence, understand children‘s perceptions, empower them to be the first line of prevention, and enhance the overall effectiveness of efforts aiming at the elimination of violence in its different forms. To support this, it is critical to promote a child-friendly school environment and relevant curricula, focusing on life skills and human rights education, and to nurture values of social equality, tolerance toward diversity and non-violent means of resolving conflict. 53. For vulnerable groups of children, including girls, children with disabilities, children belonging to minorities or indigenous groups, or affected by HIV, these efforts need to be redoubled. They face particular challenges in gaining access to schooling and in remaining in school. They are more likely to be subjected to violence, or disregarded when they seek advice or report incidents of violence. As a result, they may end up choosing not to report violence for fear of drawing attention. Supporting teachers and school staff with necessary skill and resources 54. Teachers and school staff are decisive actors in violence prevention and responses. It is essential to provide them with the necessary skills, support and resources. It helps to equip staff to use constructive discipline methods in school, partner with students in violence prevention, serve as positive models, learn about peaceful conflict mediation and resolution, and promote school-safety mechanisms, such as codes of conduct and studentfriendly reporting mechanisms. Equally important is the provision of clear guidance on the handling of incidents of violence, mandatory reporting and assistance to child victims. Steps such as these are vital to enable the school to identify early signals of violence, support children at special risk and provide timely and effective support in an ethical and child-sensitive manner. Consolidating data and research on violence in schools 55. Although statistical information on violence in education is scarce and fragmented, available data reveal the serious magnitude and the long-lasting consequences of this phenomenon – on children and their families and on the education system as a whole. Surveys conducted in a number of countries confirm this pattern and in some cases helped to denounce emerging forms of violence, including new forms of sexual abuse in schools referred to as ―sex for grades‖. 56. Urgent efforts remain essential, including to capture the hidden face of violence and address its root causes; to understand perceptions and attitudes, including amongst girls and boys of different ages and social backgrounds; to help identify children at greater risk and effectively support them; and to assess the economic cost of violence and the social return that may be achieved with investment in prevention. 12