Ferizaj's cymbal and drug mills, nearly 300 cases of violence in Kosovo schools for 5 months

In a written response by Kosovo Police, 288 different cases of school violence were reported in the first five months of 2022.

May 2022: 288 cases/incidents in schools and around them are reported at the country level. The most frequent reported cases include: A slight body connection, property leak, reposition, and so on, says the police response.

In addition to physical violence, recently an educator at a school in Pec has been suspended after allegedly sexually molesting a seventh grade student. This is another concern for child - rights organizations.

Beauty Surdul from Kosovo NGO Coalition for Child Protection declared for The government that security in schools has marked decline in recent years and therefore has increased cases of violence, even according to it, reports that sexual violence is taking place in schools.

“As far as violence is concerned in schools, we as a coalition have noticed together with member organisations that have fallen in school security in recent years. And therefore the number of cases of violence is increasing... Focusing on what we're going to do with activities and the sexual violence of children, but here we're going to focus on schools, because we have reports that such violence is happening even in areas where it wasn't supposed to happen. In school... In Kosovo we do not have a fragmented service delivery system for violence. Still, educational services, social services, and health services are not integrated, so there is an increasing number of school violence, because in schools there are not enough psychologists, where there are times when a psychologist works in more than one school, namely. In two or three schools, the absence of a psychologist, a professional, a professor, a social worker, all together cause the system to fail and children to have no protection from violence”, Surdol noted.

Youth Qehaja from the Edguard Institute said responsible institutions should have a greater commitment against cases of violence.

Our subx0 institutions have the law's obligation to have a greater commitment against cases of violence. I remember that violence continues to be present because of institutional neglect, so if we had a school institution, the municipal director, but also a more dedicated and willful central government, in my belief cases of violence would be much more minimal”, Qehaja said.

While Jemin Demi from the Parents' Council has called for more responsibility from acts involved in the educational system to increase safety in schools and schools until they have demanded that the number of psychologists and teachers in schools increase.

The majority of Pristina schools, if not all, have no psychologists at all. There are some who engage at certain hours or according to days, therefore this absence has resulted in difficulties managing various cases presented in Pristina schools. Especially after the pandemic we have increased violence and to some extent reported to police by hundreds of cases. So the situation is distressing and we hope that we will have additional measures on the security issue in general, but with psychologists and teachers in schools we believe it will help in this process”, he said.

The Ministry of Education has initiated the founding of the National Forum for Friends Schools following the security situation in schools.

Media adviser to the ministry, Iliriana Pylla, said this forum is expected to meet the continued needs of the school community and coincide with the development of policies that bring better quality and inclusive education and a safe environment for students.

The foundation of the Nacional Forum for continuing conveying the security situation, increased prosperity and healthy development in educational institutions and pre-university skills has been initiated. There will be interilateral and multilateral co-ordination for the implementation of security policies, preventing violence, protecting children, raising their well-being and healthy development. The Nacional Forum will be a solid advisory basis on important issues related to promoting safe school facilities, where sound growth and full development of child potential are stimulated. This Forum is expected to meet the continued needs of the school community and coincide with the development of policies that bring better quality and inclusive education”, she said.

Following the police report in Ferizaj, the Minister of Education, Arberie Navci, has also reacted during Friday, demanding greater commitment by teachers, school management and Communist Education Directorates. Nagavci has also asked parents to keep the focus of children.