The report is grounded in the lived experiences of children and young people themselves. It brings together data from 523 children and young people who completed surveys, alongside insights from 14 focus group discussions involving 120 children and young people, conducted in Albania, Bulgaria, Italy, Kosovo, Romania and Sweden.
Violence is present – even where children feel “safe”
While many children report feeling safe at school, the findings show that violence remains a persistent part of school life. Across the six countries, 62% of respondents said that violence is always or often a problem in their school environment.
This reflects a gap between perceptions of physical safety and emotional well-being. Young people described environments where overt physical assaults may be less frequent than in the past, but where other forms of harm are widespread and often normalised.
Psychological and verbal violence are the most common
The Scoping Report found that psychological and verbal violence are the most prevalent forms of peer violence experienced by children and young people.
During focus group discussions, children described insults, teasing, humiliation and body-shaming as everyday occurrences, often dismissed as jokes. These behaviours were reported to disproportionately affect girls, LGBTQ+ young people, and those perceived as “different” because of appearance, ethnicity, disability or economic background.
Gender norms shape how violence is experienced
Children and young people consistently linked violence to gender expectations. The report shows that attitudes toward boys are shifting in some areas, with 76% of respondents disagreeing with the idea that boys who cry are weak.
However, traditional norms concerning girls remain more deeply rooted. Across countries, significant numbers of respondents agreed that girls need more protection than boys, and many young people reported that girls are judged more harshly for their appearance, behaviour and relationships.
Girls were also described as being more exposed to verbal abuse, sexual harassment and online violence, while boys were more frequently associated with physical aggression and fights. These gendered patterns were echoed across survey responses and focus group discussions.
Online violence follows children home
The report highlights cyberbullying and digital sexual harassment as widespread and particularly harmful. Almost half of respondents (44%) said they had received unwanted sexual messages, jokes or love proposals online at least once.
“(Online violence) can reach you anytime, even at home with parents.”
Quote from a young person in the Scoping Report
Children described how online abuse is constant, difficult to escape and deeply damaging, as it extends beyond school into private spaces. Focus groups also revealed that cyberbullying is often underreported and that schools and adults frequently feel ill-equipped to respond.
Silence, fear and the bystander effect
The Scoping Report also documents low levels of reporting. Only 27% of respondents believed that incidents of violence are always or often reported in their school.
Children and young people described fear of retaliation, lack of trust in adult responses and concern about being labelled as a “snitch” as key barriers to speaking out. Many said their willingness to intervene depends on who is involved, the presence of peers, and their perceived personal risk.
Young people’s messages for change
Alongside the Scoping Report, the young people of the project’s International Young Expert Group have created a short key messages video. The video reflects young people’s own recommendations for prevention, inclusion and adult support, drawing on the realities highlighted in the research.
As expressed by one of the young people, “It’s important to involve children and young people because we are our own experts. It’s our reality.”