Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education to Operate Sexual and Cyber School Violence Prevention Programs

The Place with the Most School Violence Last Year Was Online
Sexual Violence Among School Violence Types Increased by 28.5% in the Last 5 Years

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced on the 31st that they will operate a customized guidance program for school violence to prevent and stop recurrence of school violence such as sexual violence and cyberbullying.

To conduct the program, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education designated nine experiential education institutions operated by police stations, called the "Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Youth Police School," as special education completion institutions. A special education completion institution refers to an educational institution designated by the superintendent of education to prevent recidivism of students who have been disciplined or guided for school violence offenses.

This program will be operated specifically for students who have received disciplinary and guidance measures for school violence and have undergone special education measures particularly for sexual violence and cyberbullying. Previously, programs were conducted uniformly without distinction by type of crime or behavior. However, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency explained that they prepared a customized guidance program to efficiently respond to the changing patterns of school violence and to enhance the guidance effect on offending students.

Furthermore, school violence is increasingly concentrated in cyberbullying and sexual violence. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, the place where school violence occurred most frequently last year was online (19.8%). Also, over the past five years, sexual violence among types of school violence has increased significantly by 28.5%.

The program will be centered on experiential education tailored to the perspective of youth. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, and the Pureunamu Foundation formed a task force (TF) team to develop the guidance program for sexual and cyber violence. To conduct the program efficiently and professionally, specialized training such as gender sensitivity education was provided to School Police Officers (SPOs). The program content is designed not only to prevent school violence but also to allow students to recognize that their actions can constitute crimes and to empathize with victims’ feelings, providing time for self-reflection.

Kim Kwang-ho, Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, stated, "It is important to approach the recently increasing school violence through organic cooperation between schools and the police in a multidimensional way," adding, "To proactively prevent school violence at the beginning of the upcoming new semester, we will actively respond to the changing school violence by cooperating with various related organizations as well as educational institutions."

Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, said, "Providing a customized special education program with educational significance at the Youth Police School is meaningful in supporting students’ prevention of recurrence, change, and growth," and added, "We will prevent school violence through continuous cooperation with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.