In the contexts of conflict and fragility, targeted violent attacks are carried out for political, military, ideological, sectarian and/or ethnic reasons against teachers, students, academics, education trade unionists and education officials, as well as humanitarian and development education workers. These incidents involve the deliberate use of force in ways that disrupt and deter educational provision, deny individuals their right to access quality learning, and put them at risk in environments that should be protective.

To document these gross violations, UNESCO commissioned a study in 2007 entitled Education under Attack. The aims of this ground-breaking work were to detail the incidence of attacks on schools, teachers and students and to draw attention to the need for concerted action to stop them.

[from the UNESCO website]