Fenprof argues that it is necessary and very urgent consider aggression against teachers as a public crime performing their duties, as well as non-teaching staff.
This Tuesday, the National Federation of Teachers (Fenprof) demanded urgent measures from the Government to prevent and protect teaching and non-teaching staff victims of attacks, as well as the intensification of penalties for attackers.
In a statement, Fenprof explains that the demand for urgent measures comes following the rejection of the application for transfer of educational establishment to a student who “violently attacked a teacher, last month, in a group of schools in the south of the country”.
In the note, the federation says it sent a letter to the Minister of Education, Fernando Alexandre, demanding a triple intervention (prevention, punishment of the aggressor and protection of the victim), particularly in the most violent cases.
In the request and with regard to prevention, Fenprof calls for a reduction in the number of students per class, the allocation of sufficient non-teaching staff and the existence of multidisciplinary teams that can intervene in the most socially disadvantaged contexts.
“Regarding punishment, the measures enshrined in the Student Statute are clearly insufficient in situations of violent aggression, requiring a worsening of the measures provided for, helping to dissuade this type of behavior in the school environment”, states the Federation.
In Fenprof’s understanding, protection for victims must be reinforced so that they can have all the conditions for physical, psychological and social recovery from the situation they experienced.
“If it is true that the aggressor has an indisputable right to reintegration and psychological support, it is no less true that the victim has the right to protection and reparation for the physical, psychological and social damage suffered and also has the right not to have to return to the service under conditions that would become a perpetuation of their victimization.”
