What is school violence? What are the regulations on school violence prevention in Vietnam?

What is school violence?

Based on Clause 5, Article 2 of Decree 80/2017/ND-CP as prescribed:

Explanation of Terms

In this Decree, the following terms are understood as follows:

1. Educational environment encompasses all material and spiritual conditions affecting the educational activities, learning, training, and development of learners.

2. Safe educational environment is one where learners are protected and not physically or mentally harmed.

3. Healthy educational environment is one without social evils, violence; where learners, administrators, teachers, and staff lead healthy lifestyles and engage in cultural behaviors.

4. Friendly educational environment is one where learners are respected, treated fairly, equally, and kindly; democracy is promoted, and conditions are created to foster their qualities and abilities.

5. School violence is the act of torturing, mistreating, beating; physically assaulting and harming health; insulting, defaming honor and dignity; isolating, expelling, and other intentional acts causing physical and mental harm to learners occurring in educational institutions or independent classes.

Thus, school violence can be understood as acts of torturing, mistreating, beating; physically assaulting and harming health; insulting, defaming honor and dignity; isolating, expelling learners in educational institutions or independent classes.

Additionally, other intentional acts causing physical and mental harm to learners occurring in secondary schools are also considered school violence.

What is school violence? What are the regulations on school violence prevention in Vietnam? (Image from the Internet)

What are the regulations on school violence prevention in Vietnam?

The prevention of school violence according to Article 6 of Decree 80/2017/ND-CP is as follows:

* Measures to Prevent School Violence:

- Propagate and raise awareness among learners, administrators, teachers, staff in educational institutions, learners’ families, and the community about the dangers and consequences of school violence;- Be responsible for detecting, reporting, and denouncing acts of school violence; prevent and intervene promptly in acts of school violence within one’s capacity;

- Educate and equip knowledge and skills on preventing harm to learners, School violence prevention; violence against children on the internet for learners, administrators, teachers, staff of educational institutions, and learners’ families; educate and advise knowledge and self-protection skills for learners;

- Publicly disclose the plan for School violence prevention and the channels for receiving information and reports on school violence;

- Organize inspections, supervision, collect and handle information related to school violence;

- Implement positive, non-violent educational methods towards learners.

* Measures to Support Learners at Risk of School Violence:

- Promptly identify learners who are quarrelsome, at risk of school violence, and those at risk of being subjected to school violence;

- Assess the level of risk and types of potential violence to take specific preventive and supportive measures;

- Provide consultation and counseling for learners at risk of violence and those causing violence to prevent and eliminate the risk of violence.

* Measures to Intervene When School Violence Occurs:

- Conduct a preliminary assessment of the damage to the learner and provide an immediate evaluation of their current condition;

- Immediately implement support measures, medical care, and counseling for the learner subjected to violence; monitor and assess the safety of the victim;

- Promptly inform the learner’s family to coordinate handling; if the incident exceeds the handling capacity of the educational institution, promptly inform the police, the People’s Committee of the commune, ward, commune-level town, and relevant agencies to coordinate handling as prescribed by law.

Additionally, the prevention of school violence under Article 7 of Circular 38/2019/TT-BLDTBXH is as follows:

- Educate and equip knowledge and skills on preventing harm to students; prevent school violence on the internet for students, administrators, teachers, and staff of vocational education institutions and students' families; educate and advise knowledge and self-protection skills for students.

- Vocational education institutions regularly monitor, record, and analyze groups at risk of school violence. Establish a mechanism to cooperate with relevant agencies and a process to handle situations of school violence.

- Establish communication channels between vocational education institutions, students' families, and relevant organizations and individuals to promptly prevent and handle situations of school violence.

Shall vocational education institutions in Vietnam be required to notify students’ families immediately when school violence occurs?

Handling when school violence occurs according to Article 9 of Circular 38/2019/TT-BLDTBXH is as follows:

- Implement measures to promptly isolate and restrain the individuals causing school violence, preventing them from continuing to cause unwanted consequences.

- Immediately contact and report to the authority to handle the incident according to regulations. If the incident exceeds the handling capacity of the vocational education institution, promptly notify the authorities or relevant agencies for coordinated handling as prescribed by law.

- Conduct a preliminary assessment of the victim's damage. Immediately implement support and medical care measures for the victim. Monitor, assess, and provide practical support measures to ensure the victim's safety in the future.

- Promptly notify the victim's family to coordinate handling.

Therefore, when school violence occurs, vocational education institutions must promptly notify the victim's family to coordinate handling.