The number of politically and ideologically motivated attacks on teachers, students and school buildings is rising, says the report "Education under attack", launched by UNESCO this week. These attacks are perpetrated by non-state armed groups and state actors alike.

“Education under Attack 2010” is the second report on the subject; the first was published in 2007. This report is launched together with a second UNESCO publication entitled “Protecting Education from Attack: A State-of-the-Art Review”, in which several experts take critical stock of knowledge on prevention and response, with respect to both international law and interventions on the ground.

The 2010 report reveals that the problem is much more extensive. Education was attacked in at least 32 countries between January 2007 and July 2009. Often, an attack on the educational system represents an attack on the State. Conversely, certain States or paramilitary organizations may target academics in order to neutralize real or imagined opponents.

The report also covers the issue of child soldiers – the number of which is currently estimated at 250,000 worldwide. Abductions are frequently carried out for the purpose of forced recruitment or sexual violence against girls. The report expresses particular concern about the systematic nature of crimes committed and sinister tactics used in several countries against teachers, pupils and unionized education workers.

Irina Bokova, the Director-General of UNESCO, has underlined that UNESCO is concerned by these attacks for three reasons: “...they constitute a threat to the right to life, and a threat to the right to education, which is itself the key to other freedoms and basic rights; lastly, these attacks jeopardize the achievement of the Education for All goals.”

The report also examines the reasons why attacks on education often attract little attention and it points to the role that the International Criminal Court (ICC) could play in strengthening accountability and ending impunity for such attacks.

In his recommendations, author Brendan O’Malley (U.K), advocates the creation of a global observatory on the subject. The United Nations currently lacks reliable data for an accurate assessment of the problem. More in-depth research is needed, he says, to enable better analysis and understanding of the causes, means and impacts of attacks on education.

Finally, while we have limited information on the effectiveness of protective measures and negotiations with armed groups, O’Malley lists possible solutions: providing armed guards at schools or for transport to or from school, encouraging community defence of schools, providing distance learning where it is too dangerous to attend classes, relocating schools within community homes to make them less visible targets, and providing rapid repair and resupply of educational materials.

View the full report here.