Competition of practices/actions to promote the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth's Anti-Racist Policy, in the framework of the prevention of violence and youth delinquency at school and promotion of active citizenship 2020-21
It is with great pleasure that I address such an important event, within the framework of the competition for the promotion of the anti-racist policy of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth.
A competition that we have been co-organising for the last few years with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth, and the Commissioner for Citizenship with the aim of preventing violence in schools.
The prizes and praise that we will award today for the actions organised and implemented by schools in Cyprus, is an action that shows the strong will of the state to prevent and tackle youth delinquency in all its forms.
An organised and coordinated effort on the part of the state and society is required to tackle it.
As Minister of Justice and Public Order, but also as a citizen of this country, I assure you that preventing and combating juvenile delinquency is my top priority. Both I and the staff of the Ministry of Justice and Public Order, as well as the Police, are and will continue to be actively involved in this common struggle.
An important tool in this effort is the Children in Conflict Act passed last April. This Law establishes a child-friendly criminal justice system. It also establishes alternative ways of dealing with juvenile offenders, the main aim of which is to prevent, prevent and deter the recurrence of offending behaviour.
A form of juvenile delinquency that we unfortunately often encounter in schools, but also in society in general, is racism, in its various manifestations. It is widely accepted that the most effective, but also the most difficult measure to deal with any social problem is prevention. It is in this context that the Code of Conduct against Racism and the Guide for the Management and Recording of Racist Incidents have been developed by the Pedagogical Institute. The Code is an important tool for teachers, students and parents alike in the management of racist incidents.
The Government's will to prevent and combat racism and all forms of discrimination is also reflected in the first National Strategy for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights recently adopted by the Council of Ministers. It is translated into actions through the National Action Plan prepared in cooperation with the University of Cyprus.
Despite the adverse conditions that prevailed this year due to the pandemic, a large number of schools of all levels participated in the competition. This fact proves that the objectives of the institution are being achieved.
I feel the need to congratulate the school managements for the interest they have shown in contributing to the prevention of juvenile delinquency, as well as the teaching staff, whose role was decisive in the organisation of activities. Congratulations are also due to the Parents' Associations and the Local Communities that participated in them, but above all to the children who implemented the actions with such zeal.
Dear children,
I congratulate you both on your participation in the competition and on your award. I hope that the experiences you have gained from your participation in this competition will accompany you in the future, that you will transfer them to your environment and put them into practice in your daily life. Only in this way will we achieve our common goal of preventing and tackling juvenile delinquency.
Thank you.
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