Violence in schools still surprises us all too often

Kids really know how to say what they don’t like. 

• You wouldn’t like it if someone from school edited a photo of you and posted it online along with an offensive comment. 
• You wouldn’t like it if someone beat you up in the hallway.
• And you wouldn’t like it if someone groped you.

This was clearly stated by the students of the Ivan Cankar Vrhnika Primary School in Slovenia, who are involved in the program Neon – Safe without violence (Neon – Varni brez nasilja).

The students also said that a slur is not always offensive to them – it could be friendly or aggressive depending on who and how it is said.

With their feedback, the students informed us that we, as researchers, need to investigate better how they percieve peer violence.

Tina Pirc, psychologist

Children and adults alike know how important it is for everyone to feel safe at school.

Nevertheless, too often violence takes us by surprise.

It’s the same in the adult world.

But if you know that violence is happening to you or someone you know, you can in fact take action.

But how?

If you are in doubt that you are experiencing physical or verbal violence, try answering a few questions:

• How am I feeling?
• Would I like to talk about this with someone?
• Do I need help?

You can turn to friends, parents, teachers, or other adults you trust.

If you ever witness it, you can help prevent it.

It is important that you respond. For example you can say, “That’s not right. Stop it now.”

Students who participated in the Neon – Safe without violence project created a similar video in Slovene.

Glossary

A slur is something said about someone that is likely to insult them or damage their reputation.

Points to Consider

1. How would you respond to an insult over the phone?
2. What would be the most difficult for you if you were bullied?
3. What would help prevent violence in your school?

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The original version of this article was published on 12^th January.