The Safe Schools Declaration began in 2015, and was a joint initiative by the Norwegian and Argentinian governments, sanctifying a commitment to protecting schools and schoolchildren from violence. It has eight main components, and specific recommendations on how to achieve all of the goals implied by those components. For example, for “Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military Use” there are several recommendations for each relevant stakeholder. One for the government is: “Include protection of education from military use in military doctrine, codes of conduct, rules of engagement.”

Why did our organisation choose the Safe Schools Declaration to advocate for? The following quote about violence in schools from the declaration itself is illuminating:

“Such actions expose students and education personnel to harm, deny large numbers of children and students their right to education and so deprive communities of the foundations on which to build their future. In many countries, armed conflict continues to destroy not just school infrastructure, but the hopes and ambitions of a whole generation of children.”

The healing we are seeking is intrinsically intertwined with the "hopes and ambitions" that the SSD talks about. We believe that healing cannot take place and hope cannot be generated if learning is occurring in an atmosphere of perpetual violence.