Strong disagreements and reservations regarding the criminalization of school violence by children were expressed yesterday during an Education Committee discussion on bullying in Cyprus.
The Ministry of Education, represented by psychologists and educators, believes that prosecution will not solve the problem but exacerbate it.
They emphasized the need for support in schools, for students, educators, and parents alike.
Criminalization is proposed in two bills submitted by the President of the House, Annita Demetriou, and AKEL MP Andreas Pasiourtidis, treated as a unified text by the Legal Affairs Committee.
Dr. Erni Papakosta, Head of the Ministry of Education’s Educational Psychology Service, noted the gravity of the issue, stating that criminalizing actions within a school unit would have numerous negative consequences.
“It is not coincidental that other countries have not taken such measures, except for the United States, where the school unit is criminalized.”
She emphasized that children who bully are often victims themselves, dealing with multiple issues and requiring support and therapy.
“Criminalizing students with problems will create difficulties in management,” she added. Additionally, she mentioned challenges in communicating with the Ministry of Social Welfare, to which they turn for serious cases. “We rarely receive responses from Social Welfare. It is very difficult to work without a social worker.”
Dr. Papakosta clarified that a total of 70 educational psychologists are employed for all schools in Cyprus, highlighting the need to increase their number to have one specialist for each unit.
Elena Hadjikakou, Deputy Director of the Pedagogical Institute, stated that the Ministry does not agree with the criminalization of bullying, viewing the issue from an educational perspective. She mentioned that the Ministry is preparing a new framework, circulars, and action plans for managing the phenomenon.
Recently, a three-pillar framework for the prevention and handling of violence in schools was approved by the Council of Ministers.
Demetris Taliadoros, President of OELMEK, stressed that imprisoning a child is not a solution.
“Most criminal investigations would take place within school units; so you can imagine the problems that will arise.”
Teachers, through POED General Secretary Haris Charalambous, also emphasized their concerns about the proposed law.
“We are concerned about whether the proposed law is heading in the right direction. Imprisoning a 14-year-old student does not reduce the problem,” he said.
During the committee meeting, reports of violence and delinquent behaviour both inside and outside schools were disclosed.
MP Chrysanthos Savvides reported that a student in a Paphos school became a victim of stoning two days ago, resulting in hospitalization.
Furthermore, MP Christos Christophides spoke about child gangs, dressing similarly and targeting students with different opinions, groups, and perspectives, subjecting them to violence.
The Cyprus Police have reported an increase in cases involving minors, extending beyond the school environment. Specifically, there were 451 cases in 2020, 496 in 2021, and 508 in 2022.
It was highlighted that 25% of students in Cyprus fall victim to violence, with 2% exhibiting significantly deviant behaviour.
These figures emerge from a survey conducted on behalf of the Ministry of Education by Dr. Kostas Fanti, a professor at the Department of Psychology at the University of Cyprus.
The results align with the findings of the international assessment PISA 2022.
