Abu Dhabi: In an Moi council hosted by Bakhit Suwaidan Bakhit Al Nuaimi at his home in Al Ain, participating citizens recommended that the Community Police, Social Support Centres, and the Abu Dhabi Educational Council (ADEC) coordinate their response to violence among school students. Additionally, the participants unanimously agreed on the need to activate the role of the parents through opening the channels of dialogue between the parents and the children in order to eliminate this phenomenon.
The participants of the council stressed the responsibility to address school violence among students is not limited to a single entity; rather, it is a collective responsibility that starts with the family and reaches through educational institutions and the concerned governmental authorities. They concluded that awareness should be intensified for both students and their parents through coordinated and cohesive measures.
Within the discourse of the council, the participants discussed the impact of violence on children and what underlying reasons and circumstances may lead students towards adopting such negative behaviour. The council additionally addressed the means of treatment and protection from school violence and how to identify problematic areas. They noted that school violence is not limited to physical abuse, as it may also lead to psychological damage — which has the capability of inflicting far more serious and lasting consequences for students.
The participants also agreed that educational institutions are key pillars for teaching youth the fundamentals of good values, manners, and respect for others It was noted the student’s main environment was with the family, and it should be free from all forms of physical and psychological violence. Participants believed these steps can be achieved by strengthening the communication between the family and the school, and through strengthening a culture of dialogue between parents and children.
