Sexual abuse in Cypriot schools is taking on new dimensions, with at least three cases reported in the last few months.
According to information brought to light by Phileleftheros, these incidents involved students, while in one case, a female teacher was reportedly forced to resign due to sexual abuse by her students.
At the same time, gaps in management and unenforceable legislation dating back to 2021 have been exposed.
Regarding the shocking incident that came to light after the Education Committee’s closed-door session, involving a student who was sexually abused by three of their classmates, we were informed that the case is now being handled.
However, it was emphasised that there was a significant delay in the response, with the Immediate Response Team taking over a week to intervene and even longer for the police to get involved.
After a period of more than a month, during which the perpetrators and the victim continued to attend the same school, one of the perpetrators was eventually expelled permanently.
The other two remain at the school as their families have filed objections to their expulsion.
According to information, they have been blackmailing the victim throughout this period.
In another case, it was reported that female students were being blackmailed over indecent photographic material.
On the other side of the spectrum, a female teacher experienced an extreme incident at the hands of minors and was forced to resign after being sexually abused by a large group of students in a classroom.
The police have confirmed that they are investigating cases of sexual abuse of minors, including those that occur in schools.
They clarified that in the event of a sexual offence with a minor as a victim, it is treated as sexual abuse and not as harassment or exploitation, even if the perpetrators are also minors.
Loizos Konstantiou, president of the Parents’ Association for Secondary Education, expressed the anxiety of parents over these issues.
He emphasised that legislation has been in place since 2021 for day structures, and that the Ministry of Justice bears a very heavy responsibility, as does the Ministry of Education.
The Minister of Education, Athina Michaelidou, noted that in relation to the incident that came to light after the Education Committee meeting, they sprang into action immediately after the report.
“We sent an educational psychologist to the school. The police are already there and are investigating. This investigation takes time. We do not lack legislation or provisions in the legislation. The legislation needs to be activated, and we all need to take responsibility. The public school cannot act alone.”
The session at the Education Committee was very useful, during which sensitive issues of sexual abuse were discussed in the presence of all stakeholders. “For the first time, all services are coordinated so that the victim has a voice and a way to react.”
When such incidents occur, we want them to be reported immediately and for the case to be brought to justice. We need to see how they are reported. “Even at the mere suspicion of such an incident, the teacher is obliged to go directly to the police without even informing the school management.”
The Minister also emphasised the importance of ensuring that all children and parents know how to act in such cases.
AKEL MP Christos Christofides has submitted a question requesting information from the Minister of Education.
He asked for the protocols that are in place and can be activated by the management of schools for the prevention and handling of incidents of deviant behaviour to be communicated to him.
He also requested information on the staffing and terms of reference of services such as Educational Psychology, the Immediate Response Team and others, inquiring whether the staffing levels are sufficient for them to deal effectively with such cases.
