— Overview
Violence among students is an old fact of school life. Burk published what is often called the first study in 1897; little followed for decades. Scientific work on victims took hold in 1970s Sweden, interest rose in the late 1980s in Britain, Canada and the United States, and research multiplied in the 2000s, including prevention, response and treatment. Academic definitions do not agree. One scholar treats school violence as harm by students, in or around school, including harassment, peer violence and ostracism — a narrow, student-to-student frame.
Another stresses a power imbalance and repeated, one-sided intent, close to the bullying literature, though not every case fits a simple imbalance. A third includes all intentional, ongoing violence by school members against other school members, and even symbolic violence, while still limiting the parties to students. The statute is more concrete. Article 2(1) of the Act on the Prevention of and Countermeasures against School Violence defines school violence as an act against a student that involves injury, assault, confinement, intimidation, kidnapping or enticement, defamation or insult, extortion, coercion, forced errands, sexual violence, ostracism, cyber-ostracism, or obscene or violent information via a communications network, and that brings harm to body, mind or property.
It is not limited to fights between classmates, and it can occur off the school grounds, but teachers and administrative staff are not treated as statutory victims. Ostracism in the Act is framed as conduct by two or more students; the victim may be one person or more. According to the Ministry of Education, about 2 percent of students nationwide — some 20,000 — reported victimization in 2014, down from about 8.5 percent, some 70,000, in 2013.
Those are figures for those years, not a current official rate. Risk factors, as the term is used here, raise the chance that a student will be harmed relative to peers. Studies cited there find boys more often exposed overall, girls more often to verbal violence, and younger students more often than older ones. Children abused by adults may also be attacked by peers and, at the same time, attack in return. Protective factors, including a parent's support, can lower that chance even when risk is present.
— Contents and key concepts
Academic definitions, and Article 2(1)
Violence among students is an old fact of school life. Burk published what is often called the first study in 1897; little followed for decades. Scientific work on victims took hold in 1970s Sweden, interest rose in the late 1980s in Britain, Canada and the United States, and research multiplied in the 2000s. Academic definitions still do not agree. One scholar keeps to harm by students, in or around school. Another stresses a power imbalance and repeated intent. A third includes symbolic violence by school members, while still limiting the parties to students.
The statute is more concrete. Article 2(1) of the Act on the Prevention of and Countermeasures against School Violence defines school violence as an act against a student that involves injury, assault, confinement, intimidation, kidnapping or enticement, defamation or insult, extortion, coercion, forced errands, sexual violence, ostracism, cyber-ostracism, or obscene or violent information via a communications network, and that brings harm to body, mind or property. It can occur off the school grounds, but teachers and administrative staff are not treated as statutory victims. Ostracism in the Act is framed as conduct by two or more students.
2013 and 2014 figures, and what raises the risk
According to the Ministry of Education, about 2 percent of students nationwide — some 20,000 — reported victimization in 2014, down from about 8.5 percent, some 70,000, in 2013. Those are figures for those years, not a current official rate.
Risk factors, as the term is used here, raise the chance that a student will be harmed relative to peers. Studies cited there find boys more often exposed overall, girls more often to verbal violence, and younger students more often than older ones. Children abused by adults may also be attacked by peers and, at the same time, attack in return. Protective factors, including a parent's support, can lower that chance even when risk is present. The same Korean report, at fuller length, is on CampusDown.
Sources
- Act on the Prevention of and Countermeasures against School Violence, Article 2(1). Academic definitions discussed in the source (student-to-student; power imbalance and repetition; symbolic violence). Ministry of Education figures for 2013 (about 8.5 percent, some 70,000) and 2014 (about 2 percent, some 20,000). Risk and protective factors, including parental support, as treated in studies cited from 2012 and 2018. Burk (1897); 1970s Swedish victim research.
Last updated: 14 November 2026
Refund policy
- Change of mind / refund requested after partial use / more than 7 days after purchase
◆ Exceptions
- File errors / cannot download or open the file
◆ How to request a refund: send a 1:1 inquiry via Customer Service at the top