By Katerina Hatzistylli
- First Vice President and Interim President
- Ecologists’ Movement – Citizens’ Cooperation
Protection from violence in schools is a prerequisite for the equal exercise of the right to education. UNESCO’s International Day Against Violence and Bullying in Schools, including cyberbullying, is observed this year on November 5 and serves as a reminder of the state’s responsibility to prevent violence and protect every child who experiences it.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
In Cyprus, according to a statement issued on November 4, the Ministry of Education, Sports, and Youth is investigating a complaint regarding an assault on an 11-year-old student at an elementary school in Nicosia. We express our solidarity with the student and her family. We call on the Ministry to complete the investigation in a timely manner, to examine how the relevant protocols were implemented from the initial report through the provision of support, and to make public its findings regarding their implementation, while safeguarding the privacy of all children involved.
Research Data and Prevention
School violence also includes isolated incidents that require timely intervention. Bullying is a form of violence characterized by an imbalance of power and is often repeated. In the 2021–2022 HBSC survey in Cyprus, 7.8% of the 11-, 13-, and 15-year-olds who participated reported having been bullied at school two to three times a month or more frequently during the two months prior to the survey. 14.4% reported having experienced cyberbullying at least once during the same period. A direct comparison of the two percentages would be misleading, as the frequency threshold differs between the two measures.
In an international meta-analysis of 100 studies, Gaffney, Ttofi, and Farrington (2021) estimated that school anti-bullying programs were associated, on average, with a reduction of approximately 15–16% in victimization rates. The variation in results across studies makes it necessary to evaluate the programs implemented in Cyprus. Teacher training must cover the recognition of bullying and the handling of reports. Involving children in the development of school rules can strengthen their trust in the reporting process. Children should also know how to safely seek help when they witness an incident.
Institutional Responsibilities and Policy Recommendations
The National Strategy for the Prevention and Management of Violence in Schools 2024–2028 sets out the framework for prevention and intervention. As the Ecologists’ Movement – Citizens’ Cooperation, we call on every school to designate a point of contact and establish a confidential reporting procedure that is known to children and their families. Upon receiving any report, the school must assess the risk, take the necessary protective measures, and promptly inform the family. At a predetermined time, the school must verify that the measures have been implemented and determine, in consultation with the child, whether the child feels safe.
The reporting process must be accessible to all children, with clear instructions, multiple communication channels, and appropriate accommodations for children with disabilities. When an incident occurs or continues online, school staff need clear guidelines for safely handling the relevant digital material and limiting its further dissemination.
We call for adequate staffing of the Educational Psychology Service and the allocation of personnel based on the needs of schools. Every child who has experienced violence must have timely access to psychological support appropriate to their needs. For children who have committed acts of violence, educational interventions must set clear boundaries, help them take responsibility for their actions, and support them in changing their behavior.
The Safe School Group’s annual report can strengthen public accountability. We recommend that it include aggregate data on the time from reporting to the first intervention, access to psychological support, and recurrence of incidents. An increase in reports may reflect either more frequent incidents or greater trust in the reporting process. Analyzing the recorded reports alongside findings from anonymous surveys on children’s sense of safety will allow the Ministry to evaluate the implementation of measures and identify schools thatadditional support.
