Greek media reported on Tuesday that a 4-year-old autistic boy is an alleged victim of bullying by two 5-year-old boys at his school, resulting in a fractured jaw and broken teeth. On the day of the incident, the school downplayed the severity of the boy’s injuries, and informed his mother that he tripped and fell.
Details of the Incident
The child’s mother, who is also a teacher, told Greek MEGA TV that she received a call from her son’s school last week, informing her that her son had tripped and fell. She was led to believe that the injury was minor and decided not to leave work early to pick him up.
However, upon picking up her son later that day, she discovered that his gums were swollen, several teeth were broken and he was bleeding from the mouth.
The child was immediately taken to a dentist, where it was confirmed that his jaw was fractured, and his damaged teeth would need to be removed.
Due to the extent of the injuries, the rehabilitation process is expected to take up to three years, according to the mother.
Bullying or an Accident? Unanswered Questions
The child told his mother that he was punched several times by two 5-year-old boys during recess, which runs in contradiction to the school’s initial story that the boy had a small accident on his own.
Additionally, the severity of the boy’s injuries makes unlikely that a simple fall could result in a fractured jaw.
Questions also surround the fact that the boy was clearly in a poor state, but the school did not ask the mother to pick up the child to seek medical support.
The mother relates that the incident has exposed systemic failures at the school, as her autistic son is supposed to have a dedicated aide at school for continuous supervision, even during recess.
It appears, however, that the child was left unsupervised during the break, which is when the injury occurred.
Since the incident, the mother has secured legal representation and has repeatedly requested more information from the school. Despite her efforts and those of her lawyer, the school has yet to provide a response or more context on the cause of the boy’s injuries.
Concerns Over Youth Violence
Today’s media report is the most extreme case of alleged bullying, in what now seems to be a weekly cascade of incidents of youth violence, bullying and delinquency.
Greek authorities are concerned about the dramatic increase in violence between minors, including in petty crimes which often go unreported, and are preparing measures to combat it.
Juvenile delinquency is at a high level and may be even worse than expected because many cases are not being reported, according to recent statements by the Greek government.
In an effort to start combating the upward trend, the government plans to create an application for minors to report bullying and violence, similar to the panic button for domestic violence, and will also create a 24-hour call center with specialists trained in bullying.
