Creepy cases intimidation juveniles in or out of school who have recently seen the light are harassed and ring more than one bell. Perhaps even more troubling are the estimates scientists about incidents that will never be known, because the victims hide them deep in their souls.

One of the cases where the underage victim found the courage to confess what happened to him is the case of a 15-year-old student who was tied by his classmates by the neck during recess in the school hall, as a result of which he was almost out of breath. at the end before leaving the stage. Spyros family lawyer Dimitriou explains to APE-MPE that follow-up action will be taken: “A lawsuit will be filed and we will demand that the charge be upgraded to a felony due to unavoidable bodily harm, which is now being investigated by the prosecutor. to attempted murder, while also investigating criminal liability on the part of the school, teachers, educators, teachers on duty at the time of the break when the incident occurred, the school clinic, parents and guardians of juvenile alleged perpetrators.

After the incident, the child said at school that he had been hit and then described the moments he experienced to his parents, one of whom also had marks of injury on his neck. Now the case has embarked on the path of justice, and further developments are expected after the Easter days.

After the incident became known to the media, other parents called Mr. Dimitriou’s office and told about cases of bullying of their children. He himself is awaiting affidavits to see how these cases develop.

“This is a very serious social phenomenon, youth crime has increased even more, and this is not only for violence or despotism, but the demonstration case has also become popular, because few of these incidents are not filmed by children. Rather, the goal is video recording and publicity, and patrolling, and the mission, the humiliation of the victim, ”emphasizes Spyros Dimitriou.

How can a parent notice the signs?

In the case of the 15-year-old teenager above, the parents received information from their child on the same day, which made it much easier for them to work with it both from a legal point of view and from the point of view of the child’s psychology.

However, even if children aren’t talking, there are usually some warning signs that can help a parent realize their child may be engaging in violent behavior, says Dr. Antonia Torrens, educational psychologist, CEO of KMOP, APE-MPE and responsible . and creator of the “Live Without Bullying” program. According to Ms. Torrens, the most common are:

– Often cranky, shy or whiny or bothers someone

younger brother or friend

– Finds excuses not to go to school, for example,

that he has a headache or stomach ache

-Seems upset after using the internet or cell phone-

shows secrecy and unwillingness to talk about online

his activities

– He has various marks on his body and unexplained bruises.

-He represents changes in his eating habits

– Had clothes, broken items, or lost money

-He has a restless sleep

– Young children often experience reflux in toiletries and

they wet the bed

-He feels loneliness, sadness, anxiety, shame

-There is a feeling that he is losing control of his actions

– He is angry at others, as well as at himself.

– She is socially withdrawn

– He doesn’t want to go to school.

– He doesn’t do well in class.

– Manifests psychosomatic problems

In addition, there is also a correct way to contact children from parents if there is a suspicion that something is going on at school. “We try to start a gentle communication with them, not interrupted by other obligations, showing a sincere interest in communication on our part, so that we understand exactly what happened before. We give him time and space to think about how he would like to tell us what happened without constantly interrupting him with our own solutions to his problem. We avoid impulsive behavior and project positive thinking, but we do not guarantee that we will definitely find a solution to the problem. Bullying is a multifactorial phenomenon and often requires a careful study of the causes that led to it, as well as careful observation. Be careful. If you feel that your child is in imminent danger, you need to act immediately by going to school on your own and supporting him immediately,” notes Ms Torrens.

For Internet bullying, which most children now have access to, there are also some rules that parents can follow to get closer to their child and help them if needed.

“First, let’s be aware of the sources of help that we can turn to if necessary. We try to keep abreast of what websites our own children are visiting. We advise you not to share your personal information or password with unknown people. To preserve evidence of who they were talking to, not to promote the same bad messages, not to upload photos of others without their permission. Remember that anything that enters the network can stay there forever. Let the children themselves know that they can find detailed instructions on the E-Crime Prosecutor’s website about the dangers that exist on the Internet, as well as instructions that they can get if they need it,” says Ms. Torrens. .

The difficulties that students may encounter in school are a significant source of stress for parents as well.

“Parents’ biggest concern usually has to do with how their children handle a problem. Some, for example, know that because of low self-confidence or a sensitive nature, their child is not able to stand up for their rights by placing limits on others. They are afraid that the situation will become even worse, and their child will refuse to speak, or even hurt himself. Parents who usually experience this anxiety and ask us questions like this are also more aware of the situation, so they are also receptive to understanding what they need to do on their part.”

Why don’t kids talk?

According to Ms. Torrance, children at an early stage believe that bullying is temporary, so they think the problem will go away. “The period of adolescence is a time when children are particularly influenced by their peers and feel that as “little adults” they should start solving problems themselves. They may be influenced by the opinion of some parents who believe that “everyone has been bullied at some point”, but they have dealt with it on their own. The child in this case does not want to seem cowardly in the eyes of the parent and generally does not want to burden him with unnecessary worries. Let’s also not forget that, at an advanced stage, the toxicity created by bullying is so great that people tend to believe that they may end up deserving the humiliation they receive from their peers. This makes them even more self-contained and very reluctant to accept help from third parties,” the expert warns.

The nationwide program “Live Without Aggression”, implemented since 2015 by CMOS, provides special trainings for parents, as well as separate trainings for teachers of all levels regarding all the steps that need to be completed on both sides. These online trainings are recognized by the Ministry of Education, are provided free of charge and have helped thousands of people in our country so far along with the “Live without bullying” advisory platform.

^{Source: APE-MEB}