Protecting students from online and peer harm
The British Council has launched a comprehensive global Safeguarding Toolkit to help schools tackle growing online safety risks, peer-to-peer harm, and mental health challenges among students. Developed with support from UNICEF, the Toolkit is being rolled out across 207 British Council Partner Schools in Bangladesh, reaching nearly 50,000 students.
UNICEF estimates that 150 million students aged 13–15 worldwide experience peer violence in or around schools. Online, one in three internet users is a child, exposing students to exploitation, harassment, and AI-enabled abuse. The World Health Organization reports that one in seven adolescents lives with a mental health condition, often intersecting with safeguarding concerns.
Stephen Forbes, Country Director Bangladesh, British Council, said, “Safeguarding cannot rely on individual instinct. Clear roles, reliable recording, shared thresholds, and consistent escalation routes help schools identify and respond to concerns early and proportionately. This Toolkit bridges policy and everyday practice.”
The Safeguarding Toolkit provides practical, role-based guidance for school staff, supporting a whole-school approach that reduces reliance on individual judgment. It clarifies responsibilities, strengthens reporting, and separates child protection issues from adult conduct risks, ensuring accountability.
Designed to address online and offline risks, it guides schools in handling online grooming, harassment, coercion, impersonation, and AI-generated sexual content—enabling early intervention before issues escalate. The Toolkit will expand to 2,500+ British Council Partner Schools globally, benefiting nearly 1.7 million students, adaptable to local laws while maintaining international consistency.
