Peer violence in schools: Causes and proposed solutions

The tragic incident that took place in Gaziantep on report card day last week, which resulted in the death of a child, has once again revealed the alarming extent of 'peer violence' that has been escalating in schools recently. The fact that disputes, which usually begin as verbal arguments on social media, turn into deadly conflicts involving cutting tools and firearms around schools deeply shakes the safety of educational environments. 

The easy access children have to cutting, piercing, and firearms, and the fact that even ordinary disagreements result in murder, clearly demonstrate the grave dimensions that peer violence has reached. Instead of schools turning into unsafe places dominated by fear and anxiety, it is essential that they become peaceful learning environments where children feel safe. 

Peer-to-peer violence is a multifaceted social problem that encompasses school, family, and societal dimensions and requires holistic policies. In this context, the increasing number of peer violence cases in schools should be evaluated not only as a disciplinary issue but also as a significant security problem that requires the development of preventive policies. The tragic event that occurred in front of a school in Gaziantep, which resulted in the death of a student, is an important warning showing that effective measures must be taken on this issue without delay.

A child experiences the family environment into which they are born not only as a space for physical growth but as the first learning environment where they make sense of the social world and behavioral patterns. For this reason, being subjected to bullying and brute force instead of love during the most critical stage of the socialization process leads the child to adopt this destructive behavior as the first 'correct' way of communication and problem-solving. Especially in our country, it is observed that aggressive behaviors learned within the family are carried over to the circle of friends and reproduced in social life. Therefore, violence that begins in the family is not an individual but a social problem.

Research conducted in the field of peer violence and bullying reveals that hyperactivity and impulsivity, depression, low self-perception, and high levels of anxiety are significant risk factors for violent behavior. In addition, it has been determined that children and young people who experience academic failure and absenteeism are more likely to both be exposed to violence and exhibit violent behavior. Furthermore, it is observed that young people who grow up in families, schools, or social environments where violence is prevalent and who have previously experienced violence have an increased tendency to model and normalize aggressive behaviors. These findings show that peer violence is a multidimensional phenomenon that emerges not only from individual characteristics but from the mutual interaction of psychological, sociological, pedagogical, and ecological factors.

According to Dan Olweus, for a behavior to be considered bullying, it must possess three basic characteristics: 'the intention to cause harm,' 'the repetition of the behavior,' and 'the existence of a power imbalance between the bully and the victim.' Emphasizing that bullying is not limited to physical attacks but manifests in different forms such as verbal bullying, social exclusion, threats, teasing, spreading rumors, and psychological pressure, Olweus highlights that bullying is not just an individual problem between the bully and the victim; classmates, the school climate, the family, and the social environment also directly affect this process. Therefore, preventive efforts against peer bullying should be carried out within the framework of the shared responsibility of the school, family, and society, and should be supported by holistic intervention programs that are constantly updated in line with changing social conditions.

The incident in Gaziantep that resulted in the death of a student confirms Dan Olweus's view that peer bullying is a process that escalates over time. The incident reached a deadly dimension not only through the perpetrator's behavior but also through the influence of peers who encouraged, supported, or remained silent about the violence. This situation clearly shows that peer bullying is not an individual process but a social one that develops within group dynamics and the school climate.

Increasing violence in schools is a serious problem for the education system. Therefore, instead of temporary solutions, holistic and preventive policies based on the root causes of peer violence should be developed. Evidence-based solutions should be created with the participation of all stakeholders in symposia and workshops to be organized for this purpose, and the determined strategies should be implemented without delay.

The current functions of school guidance and psychological counseling units should be strengthened; going beyond traditional approaches, a structural reform should be carried out in the school system. In this direction, a multifunctional and dynamic institutional structure that can correctly analyze the new generation of childhood problems, which are becoming digitized and complex, and that simultaneously carries out "monitoring, prevention, protection, and intervention" processes should be established. The implementation of this holistic model, which includes early warning systems, is a vital necessity for preventing peer violence before it turns into a crisis or crime.

Within the scope of school safety policies, existing school violence and risk maps should be rapidly updated according to the changing dynamics of the field, and concrete action plans based on this data should be created. The most critical point in this process is that the incidents that occur should not be covered up due to institutional concerns or brushed aside by leaving them to time. On the contrary, every incident that occurs should be reported and recorded in a transparent manner with all its aspects. 

In this context, the effective implementation of discipline in schools, the taking of security measures, the clearing of the criminal environment around schools, the taking of measures against increasing substance abuse, the elimination of the feelings of insecurity, hopelessness, pessimism, and entrapment frequently observed in students, the ensuring of trust in the school and the teacher, the adoption of democratic values and rules, the improvement of the school's social, cultural, and sports facilities, the strengthening of school-family cooperation, holding parent meetings more frequently, the development of student-centered rather than rote-learning programs, the prevention of school dropouts and absenteeism, making guidance services more effective, the appointment of educational coaches in addition to the teaching and administrative staff, paying special attention to disadvantaged, troubled, and unsuccessful students, the establishment of a student tracking system, and ensuring the continuity of educational practices gain privileged importance. 

In conclusion, peer violence is a multidimensional social problem that is too complex to be explained by individual behaviors alone and requires the shared responsibility of the school, family, and society. A permanent solution depends on the determined implementation of preventive and sustainable policies that identify risks in advance and are based on scientific data. Rebuilding school environments where children can be educated in safety and peace, rather than in fear, is a shared responsibility not only for the education system but for the future of society.