Making important warnings after two school attacks in Türkiye, Head of Social Work Department Prof. İsmail Barış emphasized that individual measures alone are not sufficient to prevent violence.
Prof. Barış stated that school social service units should be established, access to weapons should be strictly controlled, and early warning systems should be implemented, adding, “These two incidents show us that school social services are a necessity. Because a social worker is the most competent professional to detect the presence of weapons in families, history of violence, and mental health problems through home visits.”
Üsküdar University Rector's Advisor and Head of Social Work Department Prof. İsmail Barış made comprehensive evaluations regarding the school raid-like violence incidents that occurred in the last two days.
Reminding that two severe school attacks occurred in Türkiye within 48 hours on April 14 and 16, Prof. Barış said, “For both incidents, the Ministry of Interior announced ‘individual incidents, no terrorism connection.’ Investigations are ongoing, and a publication ban has been imposed. Education was suspended for two days in Kahramanmaraş.”
Access to weapons and domestic security vulnerability!
Emphasizing that one of the most striking aspects of the incidents was the perpetrators' easy access to weapons at home, Prof. Barış stated, “This is a serious problem; adults who have the right to possess weapons at home should keep these weapons in special places inaccessible to others in the house, especially minors, for example, in steel safes.”
Call for 24/7 crisis hotline and emergency action systems
Stating that not only individual measures but also systematic solutions should be implemented, Prof. Barış said, “A 24/7 crisis hotline should be established for social media threats and peer reports. Emergency action systems should be created especially for schools and public living areas. Mechanisms should be established and physical security measures activated to prevent entry to schools with any type of weapon.”
There must be a monitoring mechanism for early detection of at-risk students
Drawing attention to the early detection of psychosocial risks, Prof. Barış stated, “To ensure timely detection of students with psychosocial risks, school social service units should be established in all our schools, the necessary infrastructure should be created, and social workers, who are professional staff, should be immediately assigned. This unit, through full-time social workers and psychological counselors in every school, should monitor all children individually, familially, environmentally, and psychologically, aiming to prevent and minimize all forms of violence, from in-school peer bullying onwards.”
The preventive role of social workers and field intervention are essential
Emphasizing the role of social workers, Prof. Barış said, “These two incidents show us that school social services are a necessity. Because a social worker is the most competent professional to detect the presence of weapons in families, history of violence, and mental health problems through home visits. They can detect risks such as peer bullying and exclusion early, prepare and implement intervention plans, thereby achieving violence prevention through secondary prevention programs and practices.”
Call for legal regulation and digital supervision!
Stating that all segments of society must make maximum effort to ensure that educational institutions are the safest places, Prof. Barış said, “As a nation, we mourn for our children and our teacher lost in Şanlıurfa and Kahramanmaraş. I wish God’s mercy upon those who lost their lives and patience to their relatives and our nation.
Finally, the Research Commission planned to be established in the Turkish Grand National Assembly should work swiftly. School social services must be given a legal basis, and staff allocated to every school. Digital platforms that encourage violence should be effectively supervised,” he concluded.
