A new school campaign with paralympic athletes.
“In 2023, the database of the Ministry of the Interior recorded 77 crimes against minors with disabilities committed in schools: 31 cases of personal harm, 18 cases of abuse of means of correction or discipline, 12 cases of mistreatment towards family, 6 cases of theft, 5 cases of sexual violence, 2 cases of threats, 2 aggressions, and 1 case of stalking.”
Thanks to a memorandum of understanding signed with the Italian Paralympic Committee (CIP) and the Ministry of the Interior’s Observatory for Security against Discrimination (OSCAD), Project “Rights and Inclusion against Discrimination” kicks off in Italian schools. The MoU calls for collaboration for the national promotion of sports activities for the disabled. The initiative is inspired by the right to sports for everyone and to contrast any form of discrimination based on conditions of disability.
With the beginning of the new school year, meetings will be held with paralympic athletes to raise student awareness on the issues of sport and disability, as well as bullying and cyberbullying against the disabled.
We had already addressed this issue a few years ago with European Project DisAbuse: Disablist Bullying - Experience into Change, Providing the Right Support Services, in collaboration with the Anti-bullying Centre of the University of Dublin and in partnership with important research centres working on preventing and contrasting bullying: Institute of Art & Design Technology (Ireland), University Institute of Lisbon (Portugal) and University of Murcia (Spain).
We developed and tested innovative interactive courses for experts and educators addressing the prevention and contrasting of bullying, especially for young men and women with special needs. Each partners shared their good practices.
Research on bullying and special needs, coordinated by the University Institute of Lisbon, on the state of the art in various countries included an analysis of current policy and regulations in various countries, measures implemented, and awareness-raising actions.
