The Larnaca District Court finally imposed an 18-month suspended prison sentence on three people last Thursday. who were found guilty in a case involving the death of 16-year-old Panagiotis Stefanis from Troullos, which occurred on April 14, 2019 during a party. The court also issued a detention order for the three defendants for a period of three years from today. Criminologists spoke to "K" about sentence imposed to three defendants, and for if it is forgiving and / or sufficient. Also, the school psychologist, George Pogiatzis, sets out his position on school bullying and says that the key is to inform, educate, and collaborate with everyone (teachers, students, parents) about what bullying really means.
Regarding the intensity and the tools available to them, the teachers from schools in Cyprus said that each school has its own peculiarities, stressed the lack of school psychologists, and how important it is to build a healthy relationship between a student and / or a teacher.
An 18-month sentence is sufficient
The three defendants, aged 19 and 20 today, were found guilty by the Larnaca District Court of causing death by a reckless, reckless or dangerous act. The defendants were found guilty of unintentionally causing the death of 16-year-old Panagiotis, urging him to consume a large amount of alcohol, resulting in acute alcohol poisoning. Regarding the sentence and its leniency or adequacy, lawyers who spoke to "K" said that in their opinion, and judging from the outset and without knowing the details of the case, the sentence is sufficient, "a sentence can to be lenient, and at the same time not to gather evidence that is manifestly inadequate as incorrect ", adding that in such offenses the maximum penalty that can be imposed, such as manslaughter by reckless, reckless and dangerous act, is four years in prison, and note that the most common application of the relevant Article 210 of the Penal Code is lethal traffic. Given the maximum sentence for these offenses, the lawyers we spoke to believe that the 18-month prison sentence can rarely be overturned on appeal as manifestly inadequate. "Of the four years that are the maximum, one and a half years have been imposed, and in order to reach this maximum, there must be some particularly aggravating ones."
The criminologist we talked to also explained the issue of the suspension of the execution of the sentence, saying: "Suspension of execution is not a type of sentence, the type of sentence is imprisonment. However, what I can say is that these are young people, who in case of confinement would be in a very bad position, beings and minors at the time of the crime, therefore, I do not consider the decision to suspend the sentence to be absurd at all ". The criminologist and the other lawyer insisted, as the judge of the Larnaca District Court stated, that the imprisonment sentence is a sentence, but it is suspended to give them a second chance. "The suspension of the sentence is something different, since the court examines in a second evaluation, whether under the circumstances the suspension of the execution of the sentence is justified. As a rule for juvenile offenders without precedent, you want not to lead them to our penitentiary system ". It was noted that the suspension falls exclusively at the discretion of the court, after hearing the facts and taking into account any relevant parameters of the decision, "any third party does not have the whole picture, so the decision to suspend is taken after many other issues." ». When asked if the public's sense of justice is satisfied, the lawyers said that, first of all, the task of imposing the sentence is the most delicate in a criminal procedure: "imprisonment is the last punishment, and in this case I consider that justice has been done ». It was stressed that the court is the expression of the public's sense of justice, and that this is often presented by the media or others with a wrong or incomplete image. As to whether there is a need for a personal crime of "bullying", we were told that the Penal Code does not lag behind in dealing with acts of bullying, so there is no need to specialize in a personal crime.
Only with knowledge will the chain of intimidation be broken
The school psychologist, George Pogiatzis, noted that there is a need for a holistic approach in all schools of all levels to the issue of school bullying. When asked what tools we need to deal with school bullying, Mr. Pogiatzis said that we have the tools, "as we have trained and well-trained people, who can be used properly. Also, the School Psychology Service is staffed by excellent colleagues, what is needed is political will so that they operate universally, not occasionally or in fragments, not on occasion ". We have been told about the profile of the perpetrator that there are two dominant approaches, one says that the perpetrator is the person who is apathetic and distanced from his emotional world and does not respond to the pain and emotional state of those around him. He also has a difficulty in understanding and expressing his feelings, the other theory argues the opposite, the perpetrators are people with tremendous abilities hence and perceive the weak link of the group, targeting him. Mr. Pogiatzis also mentioned that the perpetrator may have fallen victim at another time, or that the victim may have been the perpetrator. Therefore only with the knowledge of the correct treatment of this important issue can the chain be broken. Regarding the role of the spectators, Mr. Pogiatzis emphasizes that their role is very important in the elimination of harassing behaviors, since the intervention of a third neutral person can be a catalyst for the termination in real time (in its genesis) of behavior that tends to become dangerous. "The key is to inform, educate, and work with everyone (teachers, students, parents) about what school bullying really means and what its consequences can be," said Mr. Pogiatzis, emphasizing the role of parents. , who should also receive support, as should teachers.
A more general treatment of the phenomenon is needed
Cases of school bullying have many manifestations and as Mr. Pogiatzis noted in "K", they affect the student in a different way, inside or outside the school. Teachers are an important link in the chain, as they are often the first to be confronted with a school bullying case. A high school teacher in the province of Limassol in the city, but also in the province, told "K" that the problem of course exists and the extent of the phenomenon depends on the specifics of each school in the school environment and teachers do what they can for to be close to children, having of course the in-school tools to deal with the phenomenon. "Unfortunately, it is up to each teacher to deal with it and to intervene in a timely and correct manner. However, I believe that there is a terrible bureaucracy, which should be reduced. We need more specialization, we want more counselors in schools and the main thing we need are educational psychologists in schools. "Today the counselor deals with so much; and of course the teachers themselves are in need."
A teacher with many years of experience in secondary education told "K" that in recent years school bullying has changed "face": "We find that it often manifests itself in ways you do not expect and more and more often see cases of bullying by young girls to their peers whom they mock mainly for their appearance and their origin ". The teacher stressed that they try to solve the problem when it happens and reiterates that the treatment and the phenomenon depends on each school individually. Regarding the adequacy of the tools at their disposal, the teacher noted: "First the ministry gives a direction, and then the teacher has to manage the tools, which are not always sufficient, mainly because the school tries to solve them within its walls, without involving other actors and without exposing people. It always depends on each school and the management ". Regarding the adequacy of a number of school psychologists, the teacher says that they are clearly not enough. "Both the victim and the perpetrator need help and that is where the intervention of the school psychologist, the specialist, is needed, who in schools are known to be insufficient." Summing up, the teacher stressed that the phenomenon exists and becomes even more serious not only because of the school environment, but also because of what our society is. Children easily copy from their surroundings, their family, the need to belong plays a very important role ".
A teacher in secondary technical education with experience in both Limassol and Nicosia stressed in "K" that in Technical Schools there is of course the problem. "I must say that the management of such phenomena is very well received by the management team and the whole school, and this is very important," he also stressed the need to increase school psychologists. A teacher at a school in the Famagusta Free Province said schools and teachers have the tools to tackle school bullying, "seminars are held at the beginning of the year, and given the time it takes, two to three seminars a year are good." . The teacher stressed that the issue in the last year has begun to become more intense, even in its simplest form: "We must always be vigilant, to be in communication with students, to have our ears open."
A common component of most of the teachers we contacted was the need to employ more educational psychologists in the schools, especially in the larger schools, and that there is a need for a more general treatment of the phenomenon at the community level, since that is where it all begins.
Actions of the Ministry of Education
For its part, the Ministry of Education and the Educational Psychology Service are at the disposal of the schools for counseling and guidance when there is an incident or suspicion of a school bullying incident. The School Violence Observatory (PAVIS) of the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute and the Educational Psychology Service (EDC) conduct teacher training on issues related to school bullying. According to the instructions, the school units are encouraged, during the management or even during the investigation of an incident, to contact the relevant teacher / psychologist, for discussion, exchange of views, seeking guidance in relation to the incident management and coordination for possible development of actions in the school environment, if deemed necessary. It is noted that the ministry has issued circular instructions for the management of the issue of school bullying, violence management, as well as related manuals for teachers, so that they can identify and manage cases of child sexual abuse, as well as incidents of domestic violence for children. . There have also been suggestions for implementing an anti-racism policy.
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