Youth & Schools
Understanding types of violence
Suicidal behavior is self-destructive behavior directed toward one’s own body or mind. It includes suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, or self-harm caused by emotional distress, depression, anxiety, or severe life circumstances, and may result in lasting physical or psychological harm.
Physical violence in institutional settings involves the intentional use of force causing pain, injury, or harm in places such as prisons, hospitals, care facilities, or schools. It may include beatings, restraints, confinement, or abuse of power by staff or the system itself.
Emotional or psychological violence is non-physical abuse that damages mental health, self-esteem, and emotional stability through manipulation, intimidation, humiliation, or isolation. It may include cyberbullying, financial control, stalking, and institutional abuse.
Sexual abuse within intimate partner violence (IPV) includes any non-consensual sexual act imposed by one partner on the other. It may involve coercion, unwanted touching, humiliation, or exploitation, often linked to power, control, and fear.
Understanding healthy relationships
Healthy behaviors in the context of school violence focus on prevention, de-escalation, and support systems that prioritize safety and emotional well-being. Students and staff who practice these behaviors actively listen to peers, reportconcerning threats or bullying through established channels like counselors or anonymous tip lines, and engage in conflict resolution techniques such as mediation programs or police and justice authorities.
They also participate in mental health awareness initiatives, build positive relationships through clubs or peer mentoring, and seek help for personal stressors like anxiety or anger without resorting to aggression.
These actions create a culture of empathy and vigilance, reducing the likelihood of violence by addressing root causes early and fostering environments where everyone feels valued and heard.
Bullying and Relationship Violence
Unhealthy behaviors in school violence, by contrast, escalate risks and perpetuate harm through aggression, denial, or isolation. These include bullying, physical intimidation, spreading rumors to isolate others, or carrying somekind of weapons as a misguided form of “protection.”
Individuals exhibiting these patterns might ignore warning signs in themselves or others, retaliate violently instead of seeking adult intervention, or normalize threats by dismissing them as “jokes” or “drama.”
Substance abuse, social media-fueled harassment, or joining cliques that glorify dominance further compound the problem, creating cycles of fear and retaliation that undermine school safety and long-term emotional health for everyone involved.
Guides How to React?
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If you’re the young person experiencing it
Tell an adult you trust such as a parent, a teacher, a school counselor, even though that can feel hard or risky.
It isn’t “snitching,” and it isn’t a sign you can’t handle it; bullying thrives on silence and isolation.
Try not to retaliate or fight back, which usually escalates things and can leave you in trouble too. Save evidence of anything online (screenshots of messages, posts, usernames) before blocking.
And remember the cruelty says something about the person doing it, not about your worth that distinction is worth protecting fiercely.
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If you’re a parent or guardian
The most important responses are simple and consistent. Listen carefully to the child, don’t question or minimize their experience, and don’t ignore the problem bullying doesn’t fix itself.
Watch for warning signs: a child who suddenly dreads school, loses sleep or appetite, “loses” belongings or money, withdraws, has unexplained marks, or whose grades or mood drop. Then:
Inform the school in writing. Notify the people responsible and ask that the school’s anti-bullying policy be applied. Put it in writing (email) so there’s a dated record, and keep copies.
Document incidents: dates, what happened, who was involved, witnesses, and any injuries or screenshots, exactly like the logs you’ve been building. This matters if you need to escalate.
Stay calm and avoid contacting the other child’s family directly in anger; route it through the school, which is obliged to handle it.
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If you’re a bystander
Bystanders have real power. Don’t pile on or share/like cruel content; refuse to be an audience (bullies perform for one); support the target privately so they don’t feel alone; and tell a trusted adult.
Reporting what you witnessed is one of the most effective ways to stop it.
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The reporting and escalation ladder in Greece
Start with the school. Report orally or in writing to the principal (Διευθυντής).
Schools are required to designate staff who receive named complaints from students and parents about bullying.
The national platform. Greece runs an official reporting platform at stop-bullying@gov.gr.
Parents of primary and secondary students log in with Taxisnet codes. Reports reach the relevant school and an “Action Group” at the Education Directorate, where specialized teachers and psychologists handle the incident in cooperation with the responsible bodies.
Using the platform is optional and runs in parallel with direct oral or written reports to the principal one doesn’t replace the other.
Helplines for immediate support. The Smile of the Child (Hamogelo tou paidiou) runs the free, 24/7 national child line 1056. EKKA’s line offers free, round-the-clock social and psychological support for children, teens, parents and others facing violence and bullying; there are also dedicated lines for online safety and cyberbullying, and for LGBTQ+ young people and their families.
The European child helpline 116111 also operates in Greece.
Police, for serious cases. For particularly critical incidents physical assault, credible threats, sexual content, or serious cyberbullying involve the police.
Greece has cybercrime channels for illegal online content, and serious acts can be criminal regardless of the children’s ages.
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On cyberbullying specifically
Save evidence first, then block and report through the platform and to the school; don’t respond or retaliate; report clearly illegal content (threats, sexual images, blackmail) to the police/cybercrime unit.
Because it follows a child home through their phone, parents may need to help create some breathing room without cutting the child off from friends entirely.
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The recovery side
Bullying can leave lasting marks on a young person’s confidence and mental health, so emotional support from family, the school counselor, or one of the helplines above, is part of the response, not an afterthought.
A child who’s been targeted needs to hear, repeatedly, that it wasn’t their fault and that the adults around them are going to act.
Social Media Guidelines
Cyberbullying prevention requires a proactive, multi-layered approach involving students, parents, educators, and technology platforms, as it often occurs outside school hours but can spill over into school violence through threats, harassment, or retaliation.
How to ask for help
Organizations, helplines, and support resources.