联合国称半数青少年面临学校暴力或欺凌现象

UN: Half of Young Teenagers Face Violence or Bullying² in School

A United Nations report says about half of students aged³ 13 to 15 worldwide have experienced some form of violence in school.

This number represents about 150 million students from around the world. The report was released by the U.N. children’s agency, known as UNICEF.

Included in the 13-15 age group were students who reported being in a physical fight within the past year. Also included were students who said they had been bullied⁴ in the last month.

“For millions of students around the world, the school environment is not a safe space to study and grow,” the report said. “It is a danger zone where they learn in fear.”

Some information in the study was collected by UNICEF. Information on some countries came from governments or other organizations.

The report identifies bullying as one of the biggest problems facing schools. About one in three students reported they had experienced bullying at school. In industrialized nations, 17 million students aged 13 through 19 admitted to bullying others at school.

UNICEF said certain youth groups are more likely to be victims of bullying. These include ethnic⁶ minorities, children with disabilities and members of the LGBT community. In Britain, one study found that 30 to 50 percent of young school students who identified as gay had experienced bullying.

The report said studies have shown that boys are generally more likely to experience bullying that includes physical violence or threats. Girls are more likely to be victims of “psychological or relational” forms of bullying. This can involve spreading false information about people or shutting them out of social groups, the report said.

Cyberbullying is also an increasing problem for students, UNICEF said. This form of bulling is described as “willful and repeated harm” caused through the use of computers, mobile phones and other electronic devices.

Cyberbullying can result in victims developing alcohol and drug problems or having difficulties with schoolwork. In severe cases it can result in suicide, the report said.

The study found about one-third of students aged 13 to 15 reported being involved in physical fights. Data from 25 countries showed that 20 percent of girls and 50 percent of boys reported physical attacks by other students at least once during the past year.

The report said that violence can also happen as a form of punishment in some schools. In some classrooms, teachers and other school officials are “far too often the source of fearful learning environments.”

UNICEF said about half of all school-age children live in countries where corporal punishment is not fully⁷ banned by law in schools. The organization estimates there are about 720 million children who are not protected from this form of violence.

Armed conflict is another form of violence. The report estimates that about 158 million young people live in conflict-affected areas. For these students, classrooms can be no safer than the communities they live in.

The U.N. said it identified more than 500 direct attacks in 2017 on schools in some countries. Among them, nearly 400 happened in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In South Sudan, 26 attacks were identified, while 67 were reported in the Syrian Arab Republic. At least 20 school attacks happened in Yemen. UNICEF said many of these attacks were deadly.

The report said school shootings have also become a major form of violence in many areas. Between November 1991 and May 2018, 70 school shootings were reported in 14 countries. Each shooting involved two or more victims, with at least one death.

In addition to the harmful physical and mental effects of violence in schools, the problem can also have great economic costs. The report estimates the worldwide costs of violence against children are as high as $7 trillion.

UNICEF is calling on governments to develop and enforce laws and policies aimed at keeping students safe in schools, as well as in their online experiences.

The organization has also launched an internet campaign, called #ENDviolence, in an effort to raise awareness⁸ and increase public support for the fight against violence and bullying in schools.

I’m Bryan Lynn.

Words in This Story

bully¹ – v. to threaten or attempt to frighten someone viewed as weaker

zone – n. area where a particular thing happens

LGBT – n. computer pro⁵

gay – adj. lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender

source – n. where something comes from

corporal punishment – n. physical punishment, especially of children, usually by hitting with the hand or a stick

online – adj. connected to a system of computers, especially the internet

1 bully   

n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮

参考例句：

• A bully is always a coward.暴汉常是懦夫。
• The boy gave the bully a pelt on the back with a pebble.那男孩用石子掷击小流氓的背脊。

2 bullying   

v.恐吓，威逼( bully的现在分词 )；豪；跋扈

参考例句：

• Many cases of bullying go unreported . 很多恐吓案件都没有人告发。
• All cases of bullying will be severely dealt with. 所有以大欺小的情况都将受到严肃处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

4 bullied   

adj.被欺负了v.恐吓，威逼( bully的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• My son is being bullied at school. 我儿子在学校里受欺负。
• The boy bullied the small girl into giving him all her money. 那男孩威逼那个小女孩把所有的钱都给他。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 pro   

n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者

参考例句：

• The two debating teams argued the question pro and con.辩论的两组从赞成与反对两方面辩这一问题。
• Are you pro or con nuclear disarmament?你是赞成还是反对核裁军？

6 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

7 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

8 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。