Executive summary

Education is a fundamental human right and essential for the exercise of all other human rights. Governments of Asia and the Pacific have, by and large, signed on to international legal obligations that promote and develop the right of every person to enjoy access to education of good quality, without discrimination or exclusion.

However, learning environments are not always inclusive and safe places in the region, and can be sites of physical, verbal, psychological and sexual violence, and social exclusion. For children and young people who are perceived as ‘different’ and who do not fit into dominant cultures in societies, schools can be alienating and marginalising spaces.

This is true for some lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) youth who face discrimination, bullying and violence from their peers and adults in schools, and institutional discrimination through non-inclusive school cultures, facilities, rules and curriculum. This experience also doesn’t end at the school gates, and extends to virtual spaces through cyberbullying among an increasingly “connected” Asia-Pacific youth.

In response to this issue, the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights has recommended that States establish national standards on nondiscrimination in education, develop anti-bullying programmes and helplines and other services to support LGBTI youth, and to provide comprehensive, age-appropriate sexuality education.

As part of a programme to ensure respectful and inclusive school environments for all learners, UNESCO has undertaken this review to better understand school violence, bullying and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and intersex characteristics or status in Asia-Pacific. For simplicity, this is referred to as SOGIE-based bullying, violence and discrimination in this report. This report investigates the current situation and responses to the issue and makes recommendations for further action.