Lawyer Trong Hai: School violence and legal issues

On this issue, Nghe An Newspaper had an interview with Dr. - Lawyer Trong Hai - Director of Trong Hai & Associates Law Firm.

PV:Sir, in recent days, the issue of school violence has been stirring up public opinion and social networks related to the life of a 10th grade female student in Vinh City. Personally, how do you view this issue?

Dr. - Lawyer Trong Hai:As a lawyer, someone who works to protect the rights of clients, protect what is right and just, and also as a parent with a child studying in high school, I personally find that any abuse is very blameworthy. That is not only an abuse of health, life, and spirit, but also leaves behind unwanted events.

Somewhere, the whole country in general, Nghe An in particular, in recent days, there have been incidents.school violenceand the consequences are extremely serious. As a lawmaker, I believe that school violence is highly condemnable, and participating in preventing it is the common responsibility of those working in law enforcement.

Lawyer Trong Hai said that if school violence occurs, the school must be the first responsible agency. Photo: PV

More deeply, for those working in educational management to see that, although we have made great efforts to build a healthy school environment; in reality, there are still unfortunate incidents that occur and this is a wake-up call for those working in education, for teachers, for families, parents and the whole society. We need to be more in-depth, more caring, more psychological, more understanding of children and more humane, more determined in management, especially in managing the lives of students at an age when their psychology and physiology are not yet fully developed.

I also want to emphasize humanity and determination. In the recent incident that happened in Vinh city, according to the family, this student wanted to transfer to another place but the school still did not consider it, it is clear that the teachers have not fulfilled their role.

In this matter, we cannot avoid it. And the first responsibility must belong to those who work in the school, that is the homeroom teachers, those who do educational management work at the grassroots level.

PV:In the past, when talking about school violence, it seemed that we simply understood it as fights and beatings among school-age children. But, perhaps in addition to physical violence, mental violence is even more dangerous. Have you ever encountered similar problems in the process of handling cases? In your opinion, why is school violence becoming more and more complicated with many different forms?

Dr. - Lawyer Trong Hai:In my work as a lawyer, I often receive many phone calls from parents and meet with parents at the firm. In particular, I have heard many stories from people working in education and all expressed concern about the current trend of school violence. Most recently, a school leader in Yen Thanh district invited me to the school to talk about this issue because of concerns that the situation could continue to occur in schools.

The incident of a student at Vinh University High School for the Gifted committing suicide, suspected of being due to school violence, is a serious warning. Photo: TH

In addition to physical violence, mental violence is extremely serious. Long-term hidden gossip makes students at this age very vulnerable and once it happens, it can easily lead to negative thoughts and consequences as we have witnessed. Mental violence is more insidious and dangerous than physical school violence.

PV:Many people think that school violence is just a conflict among students. However, from a legal perspective, is school violence a violation of the law? How can school violence be handled? What are the roles and responsibilities of related units such as teachers and schools?

Dr. - Lawyer Trong Hai:Obviously, intentional acts of causing injury have signs of constituting a crime. In which, physical violence at school such as taking people to deserted places to pull their hair or tear their clothes will commit crimes such as the crime of violating the body or the crime of humiliation.

Meanwhile, if the violence is mental, it may constitute defamation or slander.

At your age, if you are in grade 12 and 18 years old, you have all the elements that constitute a crime and will be prosecuted. Therefore, I recommend that children at this age must be aware of right and wrong and behave appropriately according to the law. You have the capacity, the conditions, and the age to take legal responsibility.

PV:At school age, students may still feel confused when they become victims of school violence. In this case, how should they be protected and which agencies can they turn to for support?.

Dr. - Lawyer Trong Hai:In my opinion, parents and teachers always guide students to be strong, not weak. In case you are the one who is abused, mentally and physically abused at school, you must be calm and have your own opinion. The first person you need to share and consult is your parents, your parents and you can meet the direct manager, the homeroom teacher or the homeroom teacher.

Mock trial on propaganda and dissemination of laws on preventing school violence at Thai Lao High School. Photo: PV

In addition, victims of school violence can report in writing or through a direct mechanism to the administrators of the educational institution such as the principal, vice principal of the school and responsible persons such as teachers in charge of school security.

If there is serious violence, children can also report it to the police and seek advice from people who understand the law to handle the situation. Do not seek out negative things yourself to avoid involving your family, school and yourself.

PV:Thank you for the conversation!