50% Been hit or physically harmed by another person 43% 29% 21% 18% Bullied at school at least weekly 17% 6% 54% Afraid someone in school will hurt or bother them 58% 40% Trans and non-binary students (Counting Ourselves) Same/Both-sex attracted Transgender Opposite-sex attracted FIGURE 8: Bullying and violence at school (Source: Youth’12) people experience even higher rates of bullying at school,294 with an associated impact on their mental health and educational outcomes. As the Youth’12 survey has shown, and Counting Ourselves has confirmed, students with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities are three times more likely to experience bullying than the general population (Figure 8). Unique forms of discrimination for SOGIESCdiverse communities can include outing or threatening to out a person, or questioning if someone is a “real” girl or boy.295 Homophobic, biphobic, and transphobic abuse at school has a lasting impact on students with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities, both during schooling years and beyond.296 A 2018 Pricewaterhouse Coopers economic impact analysis conservatively estimated the cost of bullying in Australian schools at AU$525 million for each individual school year group.297 These costs are related to the impacts of decreased productivity, chronic mental and physical health issues, and impacts on family and the community from continued bullying that can extend to violence. The study did not disaggregate students who had a diverse sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or sex characteristics, but notes that they experience higher rates of bullying. In some cases, this bullying might even lead young people to drop out of school altogether. This has implications on their career choices and earning potential.298 Safety at school World-first research in New Zealand has shown that fostering belonging in the school environment improves the achievements of students with a diverse sexual orientation and Terryann Clark and others “The health and well-being of transgender high school students: Results from the New Zealand adolescent health survey (Youth’12)” (2014) 55 Journal of Adolescent Health p93; Alexandra McGregor and Andrew Webber He whakaaro – education insights: What do we know about discrimination in schools? (Ministry of Education, Wellington, 2019); Victor Madrigal-Borloz Report to the General Assembly by the Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity UN Doc A/74/181 (17 July 2019) at [5]. 295 Family Violence: It’s Not OK and RainbowYOUTH You, Me / Us (Auckland, 2016); Safe House Center “Power and control wheel for LGBT relationships” (undated) <https://www.safehousecenter.org/> 296 Karen Humphries-Waa and Justine Sass From Insult to Inclusion: Asia-Pacific report on school bullying, violence and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Bangkok, 2015); Simon Denny and others “The association between supportive high school environments and depressive symptoms and suicidality among sexual minority students” (2014) 0 Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology p1. 297 Alannah and Madeline Foundation The economic cost of bullying in Australian schools (National Centre Against Bullying, 2018) <https://www.ncab.org.au/research/> 298 Mark Henrickson ““You have to be strong to be gay”: Bullying and educational attainment in LGB New Zealanders” (2007) 19 Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services p67. 294 49