National Strategy on Juvenile Violence: ‘Innovative approach’ to juvenile delinquency ‘indicates a change of perspective on the issue’

The initiatives and policies that make up the National Strategy on Violence and Delinquency of Minors were specified earlier today, Friday, at a press conference held at the General Secretariat of Communication and Information.

The press conference was coordinated by Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister and government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis, who in his introductory statement noted that with regard to the problem of violence and delinquency of minors, the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the government “chose not to turn a blind eye”.

The Minister of State Akis Skertsos, described the National Strategy as a “road map for dealing with a complex phenomenon”, which “combines the study and treatment of violence with that of delinquency, because they are communicating vessels”. “But we are talking about children and we need to stand by them with sensitivity, with respect for their rights and with an emphasis on their obligations.”

On her part, the president of the committee of experts, Vaso Artinopoulou, described the Strategy as an “innovative approach”, which “indicates a change of perspective towards the issue”, and expressed the hope that it will become a good practice for countries abroad. “From now on there is a guide, in the short and long term. We hope that this work will be systematically read and, more importantly, systematically implemented,” he said.

Τhe Minister of Education and Religious Affairs, Sophia Zacharaki, pointed out that “we are not starting from scratch”. And that there are already tools available, such as the “Break the Silence” law and the “stopbullying” platform. In addition, she mentioned next steps, such as the introduction of mediation in schools, in-school suspension, “outside the classroom, but within school life”, as well as the pilot implementation of Technical High Schools from 2026. “Dealing with juvenile violence is a joint battle of parents, children, teachers and of course, us as supporters with the institutional tools we have to provide,” Zacharaki stressed.

The Minister of Social Cohesion, Domna Michailidou, noted that the prevention of violence starts from the family, and described the preparation of the National Strategy as “necessary work”. “We still have a lot of work to do, we are addressing the issue inter-ministerially, knowing what our goals are,” she noted.

The Minister of Digital Governance Dimitris Papastergiou noted that “it is not enough to recognise the opportunities offered by technology. We must be equally prepared to face the threats that lurk, especially for our children”. The minister, among other things, unveiled Kids Wallet, “a powerful tool to protect the children online,” he said, adding: “We must remember that our children have a right to privacy and autonomy. Our role as parents is to guide and protect them, not to completely control them.”

On his part, the Deputy Minister of Sports, Yannis Vroutsis, described the initiatives included in the National Strategy for Violence and Delinquency of Minors as “an innovation”. “Sport is a crucial and necessary link in this effort and we as a State should highlight it,” he said.

The Minister of Citizen Protection, Michalis Chrisochoidis, noted that violence ends up at the door of the Police for management under difficult circumstances and this requires specialised management, continuous adaptation and strengthening of the policy tools at its disposal. “We should intensify our actions, using the whole framework set by the National Strategy. It is a profound social issue and we need a deep and wide-ranging strategy that will respond to the problem better.”

The Minister of Justice, Giorgos Floridis, then spoke about the educational measures that can “help children to turn their anger and rage into something very productive, whether in sport, culture or work”. He announced that the possibility of providing community service in cultural activities is expected to be announced jointly with the Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni.

Finally, Deputy Minister of Health Dimitris Vartzopoulos, responsible for Mental Health, said that the purpose of the interventions included in the Strategy is to create a network that will provide specialized services throughout the country.

Source: amna.gr