Cyprus is dealing with serious questions about child safety. This comes after a court found a man guilty of long-term sexual abuse of a child. At the same time, new statistics show that violence is common in the country's secondary schools. These two separate issues have started a national discussion. People are talking about how the system protects children and what adults must do to keep young people safe.
In a recent court case in Limassol, a 36-year-old man was found guilty of sexually abusing his partner's young daughter. The abuse happened over four years, starting in 2019. In an important part of the case, the child's mother, aged 34, was also found guilty. She did not tell the authorities about the crimes, even though her daughter told her about the abuse in 2023. The court said her failure to act allowed the abuse to continue.
The situation was discovered because of an educational psychologist. This professional became concerned when the child strongly refused to visit her mother's house. Following safety rules, the psychologist informed the girl's father and the police. This shows how important trained experts are in protecting children.
At the same time, new official data from schools shows a worrying situation. During the last school year, there were thousands of violent incidents. The numbers show 948 students were in physical fights. More than twice that number, 2,331, were involved in verbal violence. There were also 1,193 cases of social bullying, like excluding others, and 277 incidents of property damage.
A very telling statistic shows that school counsellors provided support to 39,088 students. This is 79% of the students they work with. This suggests that bullying is part of a bigger problem. Many students need help with their social and emotional well-being.
These two stories—private family failure and public school violence—show there are gaps in how Cyprus prevents and handles such problems. Experts say the solution needs many parts. This includes better training for adults to report problems, stronger psychological support in schools, and education for everyone on recognizing abuse and solving conflicts peacefully. The challenge for Cyprus is to turn this awareness into real, effective protection for all children.