Pupils caught up in incidents of school violence and bullying, pupils who are either victims or perpetrators of racist behaviour, and children facing domestic as well as sexual abuse. The figures, based on official data and presented by Phileleftheros recently, reveal a massive social problem.

The statistics for the 202324 school year, as detailed in the Education Ministrys 2024 annual report concerning secondary educationwhere career counsellors are deployedare frankly terrifying.

According to the data, children involved in physical violence numbered 948 pupils (740 boys and 208 girls), in verbal violence 2,331 pupils (1,472 boys and 859 girls), in relational violence 1,193 pupils (590 boys and 603 girls), and in property damage 277 pupils (218 boys and 59 girls).

Also striking is the number of pupils who received help from career counsellors. This percentage (covering all issues) stood at 79%, which translates to 39,088 pupils.

The data reveals another dimension too: beyond the children themselves, career counsellors also work with parents, guardians, educators (head teachers, deputy heads) and specialists (psychologists and others).

Youth violence is a phenomenon thats been with us for years. And its clear were not tackling it adequatelybecause the incidents are rising at an alarming rate. Violence is everywhere. This emerges not only from the figures recorded by the Education Ministry but is plain for anyone to see in daily life.

School violence incidents are one piece of the puzzle. Then theres what happens outside schoolunregulated and potentially dangerous. Because at school there are limits; theres always the fear of punishment. To the extent that this can work as a deterrent, it might curb these phenomena to some degree. Judging by results, though, punishment as a tool isnt working in schools.

As in all such cases, deterrence is one dimension. The other is collaboration amongst all those involved to create conditions that offer every possible means of curbing youth delinquency and violenceboth inside and outside school walls.