Education without violence

The Swiss Parliament has adopted the principle of education without violence. Physical punishment and degrading treatment are punishable by law. Too many children still suffer physical and psychological abuse.

It was about time. Not only is violence reprehensible, it is also pointless: more often than not, it achieves the opposite of what it sets out to do.  As Boris Cyrulnik reminds us, civilisation has progressed since medieval times, when children were put to work and treated little better than animals. Children have rights, which are set out in the 1989 International Convention on the Rights of the Child, supplemented by the 2024 Geneva Declaration (100 years after its first draft in 1924). In a comprehensive educational approach, I would personally have called these texts ‘the rights and duties of children’: the granting of a right by society is a good thing, but it cannot be enforced in all circumstances. There are corresponding duties. The right to vote, for example, implies a duty to participate in democratic debate. Children also have a duty to be curious and respectful.

At Champittet, we encourage open-mindedness and self-regulation of behaviour. When it is necessary to take disciplinary action, it is based on rules that are known to all, with no surprises. Whenever possible, we impose constructive sanctions, which certainly deprive the pupil of a moment of freedom, but which commit them to serving the community: accompanying junior pupils at mealtimes, for example, or cleaning the campus. It is surprising how well pupils ultimately understand the why and how of the sanction. Violence and humiliation are excluded. Commitment and respect are encouraged.