Portugal: Safe School Programme - International Day for Non-Violence and Peace in Schools

The Criminal Prevention and Community Policing Sections of the Guarda Nacional Republicana have developed a set of training and awareness sessions, with the aim of alerting the school community to the need to prevent all forms of violent behaviours in society and particularly within the school.

In this context, during the current school year, the Guarda Nacional Republicana, assuming a role of social responsibility oriented by the objectives of the Programa Escola Segura (Safe School Programme), in order to encourage values of "citizenship and no discrimination", inside and outside the school, developed around 507 awareness-raising actions on this issue, of which 328 were related to "Peer Violence", 146 to "Violence in Schools" and 33 to "Cyberbullying", involving a total of 14 119 students and 507 schools.

The implementation of these events also aims to develop synergies with the various entities and local partners, giving positive and clear reinforcement to the entire community, that the Guarda Nacional Republicana is present and committed to build the path to a better integration in the school and social environment, and where no child, young person, student, will be excluded, thus enhancing security in the development of social peace.

Programa Escola Segura had its beginning in 1992, and is foreseen as an permanent and ongoing programme.