Italian
Over 7,000 crimes in 2024, with online dangers on the rise. Schools, families, and institutions are called to build a network of prevention and shared responsibility.
ITALY – The National Coordination of Teachers of the Human Rights Discipline (CNDDU) expresses deep concern over the data released by the Criminal Analysis Service and the Terre des Hommes Foundation: in 2024, crimes against minors have exceeded the threshold of 7,000 cases.
This figure reflects not only a rise in criminal behaviour but also a profound fracture in the country’s educational and social fabric.
Particularly alarming is the increase in crimes linked to the digital environment: child pornography, online grooming, and possession of child sexual abuse material have shown dramatic growth.
The internet, instead of being a space for learning and inclusion, is becoming for many minors a trap of isolation and exploitation, where violence takes on invisible and pervasive forms.
The CNDDU believes that the only effective response must be based on a renewed educational pact, in which schools play a central role in building a culture of legality and digital responsibility.
Civic education, when experienced as a real and lived practice of rights and duties, can become a tool for active prevention, capable of combating both indifference and the normalization of violence.
Every teacher must be equipped to recognize signs of distress and to intervene competently, through ongoing training programs, counselling services, and cooperation with social services.
Schools cannot be left alone: they must be supported with resources, training, and a stable network of collaborationinvolving families and institutions.
Another major concern is the gender disparity among victims: 88% of sexual violence cases involve girls.
This statistic confirms that the fight against violence toward minors is also a cultural battle—against stereotypes and patriarchal models that still influence youth relationships today.
The CNDDU calls for human rights education to become an integral part of every school curriculum, so that students not only learn the rules but also understand the deep values of respect, empathy, and justice.
It is essential to enhance best practices already present in schools by promoting school networks that share educational projects, moments of reflection, and peer education programs.
School must once again become the first place of citizenship, where young people learn to transform anger into dialogue, fear into trust, and diversity into an opportunity for growth.
Education for legality is not just another subject: it is the foundation of democratic coexistence and social peace.
The CNDDU also urges the Government and Parliament to include structural educational prevention measures in national strategies to combat violence against minors, including a dedicated national observatory to monitor youth distress.
A strategic investment is needed in psychological support, media education, and civic training, with the goal of building a more aware and resilient generation.
Only an education grounded in legality and in the dignity of the person can reverse the course of a society at risk of losing its very sense of childhood.
Every classroom can be the place where violence is defused and freedom begins to be understood, practiced, and defended.
The CNDDU reaffirms its commitment to promoting the culture of human rights in every Italian school as an ethical and civic compass for new generations, convinced that only knowledge and participation can build a more just and supportive society.
