Children afraid to go to school

Children in one middle school year at Breiðholtsskóli have been subjected to bullying and violence by a group of their fellow students for several years. The violence has been mental, physical and sexual, according to information from Morgunblaðið. There has been little peace in the year group and the group's behavior has had a major impact on the children's studies.

There are examples of children being afraid to go to school. Parents who Morgunblaðið spoke to are deeply concerned about the situation at the school. Two of them have tried for several years to draw the attention of the city and the country's education authorities to the problem, without visible success in their opinion.

"Children are beaten during recess. There is nothing normal about the fact that there have been several group attacks in this year group," says the father of a girl in the year group.

Waiting lists for trouble

The assistant principal says that administrators have taken control and that the matter is on the right track. He says that there are resources available to schools in Reykjavík, but that long waiting lists are a problem. It would be desirable if special schools could accept more students, or if more such schools were available.

"Then many have thought of something we could call a behavior center, perhaps in the city district, like ours in Breiðholt, where students could go for a while and then return to their home school. It is of course a dream for many to have that," he says in an interview with Morgunblaðið today. He acknowledges that the children have had to deal with mental and physical violence from their fellow students.

Not aware of a chronic problem

The Reykjavík City Department of Schools and Recreation says it is not aware of a chronic problem of bullying and violence at the school, in response to an inquiry from Morgunblaðið, but notes that the department has "clear procedures when cases of bullying and/or violence between children arise."

In this case, much has been done to resolve the student group problem and ensure peace in the workplace, "but as can be understood, these are often complex issues".

Magnús D. Norðdahl, a city councilor for the Pirate Party, writes an article in Morgunblaðið today, together with Halldóra Dýrleif Gunnarsdóttir, an expert at the city's Human Rights and Democracy Office. They say that the city has established a special council that deals with human rights and the issue of violence prevention, which underlines the city authorities' desire to work against violence and support victims. It is also noted that the city is the only municipality with a so-called active action plan against violence and that special emphasis is placed on violence against children.