Committee: The Third Committee of the General

Assembly (SOCHUM)
Agenda: Preventing severe violence and
discrimination in educational institutions
Delegation: The Republic of Iraq

Introduction
Severe violence and discrimination, also known as bullying, refers to youth violence that
occurs on school grounds, during activities organized by the school, or while traveling to or
from school. Victims often lack the emotional, social, and psychological authority that
abusers have. Education is a vital right for residents and professionals alike. Respecting
human rights is required for the promotion and protection of education in general, as well as
the maintenance of educational parity. Education is essential for protecting people,
particularly children, from abuse and neglect. All societies must uphold the right to promote
and attain stable and harmonious international relations, as well as to raise morally upright
citizens for the future.

Past actions
Save the Children has been operating in Iraq since 1991 and is one of the largest
international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) responding to the multi-sectoral
humanitarian, recovery, and development needs of children, youth, and their families,
including conflict-displaced Iraqis, Syrian refugees, host communities, and returnees. Save
the Children operates in six governorates of Federal Iraq (FI) and the Kurdistan Region of
Iraq (KRI).
According to a 2016 UN report, children in vulnerable situations, who face stigma,
discrimination or exclusion, are more likely to be bullied in person and online. UNICEF
states that 'walking buses' are utilized in Iraq to protect girls' safety on their commute to and
from school. Children are accompanied to school along an approved route, with at least two
trained adults acting as 'driver' and 'conductor'. Parents trust the adults, who are either
parents, family members, or community volunteers. Research suggests that walking buses
improve girls' attendance rates.
The most recent action that the UN had made in order to tackle this issue was in 2021
“UNESCO Iraq Office marks International Day against Violence and Bullying at School“.
UNESCO arranged a webinar on Ending Bullying and Violence at School in Iraq on 11
November 2021 to commemorate the first International Day against Violence and Bullying at
School, including Cyberbullying, and to work toward the common goal of abolishing
bullying and violence, including cyberbullying. The webinar, which was organized within the
framework of the Gendered Approach to Preventing Violent Extremism through Education
(GA-PVE-E) project, brought together delegates from the Government of Canada, the
Ministry of Education, the Government of Iraq, and finally, representatives from leading Iraqi
Civil Society Organizations to debate and put forward ideas for minimizing bullying and
violence at school.

Country’s position
Bullying victimization is a significant health issue among adolescents. Adolescents from
low-income households or with a lower socioeconomic status (defined as educational level or
economic wealth), who engage in sedentary activities for more than three hours per day and
reside in communities prone to unrest. Iraq has been subjected to wars, civil conflicts,
widespread violence, and sectarian violence throughout the last four decades, resulting in
communal unrest, internal displacement of families (poor affluence), and high levels of
trauma exposure. The literature shows a significant prevalence of bullying victimization in
communities with recurrent disturbance and/or community violence. Interest in school
bullying in the Arab world is a recent phenomenon. There are few published publications on
bullying in Iraq, hence why the study I’m about to present was carried out to report on
bullying victims in Baghdad. This study was carried out in 2015 by Jawad Kadhim Al-
Diwan. Statistical data shows that the incidence of bullying victimization was 39.1%. It is
higher than the figure mentioned in the Arabic World, for example. Egypt (34.2%), Yemen
(21.5%), Jordan (18.3%), Tunisia (12.3%), and Morocco (10.3%). Variations in the
prevalence of bullying victimization were observed among countries. High-income countries
reported lower rates, whereas low and middle-income countries reported high rates. The
disparity was largely explained by socioeconomic inequalities, which have a negative impact
on societal cohesion and serve as a buffer against interpersonal conflict. Several surveys and
papers have documented Iraq's socioeconomic inequality: rapid expansion and unplanned
urbanization caused by unrestricted immigration, as well as recent internal displacement of
families to Baghdad following the regime change and ongoing widespread violence, may
have contributed to the reported high rate of 39.1%. Economic inequities are sometimes
related to power imbalances, which can lead to bullying. It was proposed that children and
adolescents growing up in a social setting with a significant power imbalance develop peer
relationships that mirror unequal interactions. Community violence (terrorism and
widespread violence) affects victim bullying among adolescents. They're finding a favorable
correlation between school violence (harassment) and community crime rates. Terrorism and
pervasive violence in Iraq over the last four decades may have contributed to the reported
high rate of victimization (39.1%). Political violence is frequently justified by the assumption
that physical force is a valid means of achieving social aims. Children in an environment of
political violence are likely to absorb such beliefs and apply them to their situations.The
percentage of those who were sexually bullied (sexual comments, etc.) was 21.4%. It is
comparable to Yemen's 21.8%. Exposure to conflicts and pervasive violence may have
contributed to comparable rates recorded in Iraq and Yemen. Also ales were substantially
more likely to be bullied and sexually abused by bullies. This finding is consistent with the
findings of other investigations.

Country’s solutions
Although there are a lot of views and ideas that are completely opposed, the Republic of
Iraq wants to propose these solutions that would not only benefit us but also the other
countries who are dealing with this issue. Therefore, this nation is proposing the following
solutions:

1. Installing cameras in school institutional grounds in order to monitor said abusers so that
they receive a punishment such as a suspension, detention or what does the headmaster find
suitable.
2. To add a new mandatory subject: psychology, where the students will study the cause of
this ill behavior and how it affects the victims on a psychological level. We believe this
solution will help abusers understand more how deeply it can leave a mark on the victims
life.
3.The schools should create a “positive, safe, and affirming” environment at school that will
help students feel comfortable and valued every time they go there. Methods that can be used
to achieve this culture can be: developing and enforcing anti-bullying policies, talking to
students and families about mental health, using inclusive language and behavior,
implementing feasible structural changes such as later starts to the school day that benefit
students’ mental health.
4.We would strongly recommend giving basic mental health training to all teachers.
When teachers create safe spaces for check-ins in their classroom, they may come across
students who show red flags in regards to their mental state that they might externalize it on
other students (bullying), or students who may just need some extra support. If this is the case
and teachers are equipped with basic mental health training, they will be able to act
accordingly and connect their students to help and resources well before the conflict
escalates.

Conclusion
As a muslim country, Iraq has faced many obstacles regarding bullying and
discrimination, but the country is recovering, being more strict and trying to demoralize the
normalization of their severe violence within their people. This requires a serious
commitment by the Government to ensure new firm policies and tougher laws to resolve this
problem.

Bibliography
https://www.savethechildren.net/news/yazidi-children-disabilities-face-bullying-loneliness-
nine-years-after-genocide-report
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285055485_Bullying_victimization_among_school
-going_adolescents_in_Iraq
https://violenceagainstchildren.un.org/sites/violenceagainstchildren.un.org/files/documents/
other_documents/unesco_school_violence_and_bullying_global_status_report.pdf
https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-iraq-office-marks-international-day-against-
violence-and-bullying-school
file:///C:/Users/PC/Downloads/SOCHUM%20Committee%20Lazar%20x%20Sava%20MUN
%202024%20Study%20Guide%20(1).pdf (THE STUDY GUIDE)