The Government has revealed that they are discussing the possibility of making school aggression a punishable crime. The Assistant Secretary of State and Education, João Costa, revealed this at the TSF Forum, noting that the matter is yet to be looked over by the Ministry of Justice.
"It is a proposal that needs to be considered, especially in conjunction with the Ministry of Justice. Once we have it in hand, it will be considered and discussed with our colleagues in the area of Justice to come to a conclusion," said the Assistant Secretary of State and Education
As a public crime, assaults on teachers by students would no longer depend on a complaint and would automatically be investigated by authorities. In this context, Mr. Costa warns that it is "very important to make sure that you complain and that the teachers do not feel scared by the Ministry, that they ask us for help through the regional delegations so that they can act as firmly as possible."
It was the Independent Union of Teachers and Educators that launched the proposal to criminalize school violence in this way. Júlia Azevedo, president of this union, commented at the TSF that “it is with great pleasure that we see the Secretary of State also worried and showing full readiness to solve this problem that is not only bad for the teachers: but for the teachers, the students, the school, society, it is all of us," she said. .
Despite several recent cases, the Assistant Secretary of State for Education assures that data for recent years show that there has been a decrease in the number of physical aggressions in schools against teachers.
Mr. Costa also stressed that there are existing measures already in place in the eventuality of aggression complaints: "to ask for legal advice available through the regional delegations" and, "through the Safe School, to lead teachers to report to the police when they are beaten, whoever the aggressor is.”
