“I noticed signs that the child has problems. He changed his behavior, he went into himself. In meetings with the parents’ association, the parents of the child in question were aggressive. It was obvious that there were problems in the family. When I tried to talk to the father that the child might be showing signs of abuse, he threatened to sue me. I was scared.”

“Last year, a mother kicked her daughter out of the house because she caught her smoking. The kid told me. I spoke with the principal of the school, we contacted the competent authority of the Ministry of Education, the Center for Interdisciplinary Assessment, Counseling and Support (KEDASA), but we were told that without the consent of the parents, no intervention could take place. In addition, there was no psychologist at the school.”

“The girl isolated herself and cried in the hallway for several days. After some time, she told us that the father beats the mother and abuses the child. We called KEDAS, we were told to go to the prosecutor’s office. We drew up a protocol, but the child continued to show signs of instability.”

These are three testimonies of teachers “K”. The tragic incident of sexual abuse of a 12-year-old girl in Kolonos, where the mother is accused of pimping, sharply raises the question of who is to blame, and cases of child abuse are not dealt with in a timely manner. In the latest relevant study conducted in Greece among children aged 11, 13 and 16 (BECAN epidemiological study), 76.37% said they had been abused and 15.84% had been sexually abused.

According to the Ministry of Education, there are 2,996 psychologists and social workers in Greece for 13,201 general education schools.

“School is the place where the child is socialized, where he spends most of his day. Thus, this is the first link in the chain that allows you to quickly respond to cases of child abuse. In essence, the domestic violence legal framework puts teachers at the center of the child protection process,” clinical psychologist Tinia Apergi tells K. The testimonies of teachers and data from social authorities show that there are gaps in the system. Teachers hesitate, psychologists and social workers, where they are, are not enough. There is a labyrinth of authorities that must be raised to the level of their function, and somewhere in there the clue is lost.

“The law is clear,” says Elektra Kutsuku, a lawyer with a doctorate in children’s rights and a fellow at the Eliza Society Against Child Abuse, speaking to K. “A teacher who, during the course of his or her work, is in any way informed or learns that a crime of domestic violence has been committed against a student, immediately informs the director of the school unit. He immediately reports the criminal act to the competent public prosecutor or the nearest police authority. Heads of all types of pre-school educational institutions have the same duty,” article 23 of Law no. 3500/2006 on combating domestic violence says. “We received 557 anonymous and named reports of violence and neglect against 964 children. Of these, 14 were subjected to sexual violence This means that children don’t talk,” notes Margarita Tsavara from Smile of a Child in K.

“The teacher is in contact with the child outside the family environment, so he has a lot of data. He can compare the child’s behavior with whether it has changed, as well as with the behavior of other children,” says Hara Buta, headmaster of Agia Paraskevi 5th Primary School, in K. However, the number of complaints is estimated to be small compared to the scale of the problem. “Due to self-isolation during the pandemic, cases of domestic violence and child abuse have become more frequent,” Olga Zuzula, a psychologist at the School Education Support Network (SEDEY), tells K. It is even more difficult to establish sexual abuse when, as Ms. Kutsukou notes, “younger children in elementary school fail to set boundaries and understand inappropriate touching by a relative or third party on them. On the other hand, teenagers are hiding, they are ashamed. You have to be careful if they have traces of bullying on their stomachs, backs, legs, if they hide their hands with their sleeves.” However, when there are warning signs, the first step is to inform the parents – another tricky part, as the parents are fearful, remorseful, or the cause of the problem. And this is where the psychologist comes into play. “For a psychologist to see a child, parental approval is needed,” Ms. Zuzula says.

But not all schools have a psychologist or social worker to inform them. According to the Ministry of Education, there are 2,996 psychologists and social workers in Greece for 13,201 general education schools. “Psychologists and social workers take over five schools and go through them once a week,” Secretary General of the Ministry of Education Alexandros Koptsis explains to K. Yes, and in absolute terms there are not enough teachers for all schools, and since they have schools for 200-300 children, their work cannot have depth. Engage with the child, help teachers, offer them their experience in case of signs of child abuse. “Psychologists and social workers deal with incidents from time to time. They are needed, of course, but we don’t have time to get oversight at the school. The role of the teacher, teachers’ association, director is essential to call parents and appeal to the authorities. But let’s not forget that there is also a difficulty, the fear of interfering on the part of the teacher. It’s all a merry-go-round, and you don’t know where it will take you,” notes Thanasis Grammatikos, a school psychologist in Athens, “K”. The Teachers’ Association decides to inform the Department of Education and the Educational Responsibility Advisor before filing a complaint with the prosecutor’s office. “Many educators think: “Did I screw up?” They also get the feeling that they are being hindered because there is no structured child protection system,” Ms. Apergi tells K. Thus, informing the authorities largely depends on the “patriotism” of teachers.

ELECTRA KUTSUKOU
Legal

A child needs a trusted person to talk about a case of abuse, and this is difficult. The teacher can create such a relationship that the child opens up. Parents must then be informed. The teacher’s situation is complicated by the fear of a possible lawsuit from the parents and how he can prepare a statement to the prosecutor’s office or the police.

FAI PAPAGORGIOU
School psychologist

The psychologist oversees five schools, primary and secondary. That is, he dedicates up to 200-300 students to each school one day a week. This is a demanding condition and should prioritize needs. The teacher is very close to the children. When he finds something suspicious, it’s important that he takes responsibility for moving the case forward.

IOANNIS KARAMOUZIS
School psychologist

There is always a sign of child abuse in school that should sound the alarm; when a child is inattentive, his absenteeism increases dramatically, his performance falls, he withdraws into himself, he has strong changes in behavior. Then the teachers should call the parents. However, in many cases, teachers are unable – perhaps due to the sheer number of responsibilities – to deal effectively with this problem.

SOFIA KAPSURU
Philologist

A psychologist is present at the meeting with the parents. The psychologist can take the lead before it comes to a pedagogical association. If the parents cooperate, then the child will be under our supervision for some time. Otherwise, the Department of Education and the Advisor for Pedagogical Responsibility are informed and may intervene before filing a complaint with the Prosecutor’s Office.