Fighting school bullying a top government priority

Preventing and combating youth delinquency, such as school bullying, is a top priority for the government, Justice Minister Anna Koukkides-Procopiou said on Tuesday.

She was speaking at an event to award prizes after a competition for the prevention and management of school bullying.

Bullying, she said, “has serious consequences for the emotional and cognitive development of the victims, often forcing them into submissive and isolated behaviours. Simultaneously, it negatively affects the smooth functioning of a school unit,” she added.

It affects a significant percentage of children and adolescents in primary and secondary schools and in their social environments, the minister said.

Procopiou highlighted that the most effective but also the most challenging measure for addressing any social problem is prevention.

“The prevention and combating of youth delinquency, including various forms such as school bullying, are a top priority for both the current government and me personally,” she said.

An important tool in this effort, she continued, is the Law on Children in Conflict with the Law of 2021, which aims to establish a child-friendly justice system and prevent youth delinquency.

The law introduces new institutions and mainly extrajudicial procedures as alternative treatment methods for minors with delinquent behaviour.

She said criminal prosecution constitutes the last resort in exceptional cases, and detention is the last penalty that can be imposed by a specialised Children’s Court only if the extrajudicial procedures and/or the alternative measures provided for by the aforementioned law are not effective.

Children’s Courts have already been established, and judges for children have been appointed. Additionally, several members of the police, social welfare services, legal services, and judges have been adequately trained to handle juvenile offenders.