Prevention and fight against bullying, cyberbullying and pathological addictions. These are the objectives of the memorandum of understanding signed between the Ragusa police headquarters, the operational center for cyber security in eastern Sicily, the regional school office for Sicily and the provincial health company of Ragusa. As reported on the law enforcement website, the event took place in the press room of the Ragusa police headquarters and the initiative, promoted by the State Police, will last three years.
The objective is to offer school staff, students and families support in implementing health promotion interventions. Added to this are forms of prevention linked to risky behavior as well as to the phenomena of bullying and cyberbullying, through information and training activities on the issues of education in legality and active citizenship.
The promotion of integrated actions between institutions in the territory plays a fundamental role for the prevention and fight against risky behavior among young people connected to pathological addictions, improper use of the internet and illegal practices: these also include online gaming and digital addictions such as compulsive or excessive use of video games, bullying, cyberbullying and gender violence.
The police commissioner of the province of Ragusa, Vincenzo Trombadore, underlines how the integrated actions of a preventive nature of education on legality, provided for in the agreement, promote the principle of participatory safety. A synergy that also strengthens the closeness of the institutions responsible for protecting legality and public safety also for the school community. Security issues that are also included in the context of what was argued in the prefecture, in the Provincial Committee of Public Order and Safety.
Marcello La Bella, director of the Cosc, Eastern Sicily Postal Police, believes that collaboration among the signatories of this protocol will facilitate the work carried out for several years by the State Police to encourage behavior of children safeguarding and combating cyberbullying phenomena, improving the conscious use of new technologies.
The manager of the IX territorial area office of Ragusa, Viviana Assenza, states in this regard: “We are satisfied with the collaboration with the Ragusa police headquarters, with which once again convergences and communion of intentions emerge on issues of great importance and relevance. In this specific case, it was appreciated that the bodies primarily called to intervene on the phenomenon of bullying and cyberbullying, other forms of violence perpetrated through the use of the web and on the problem of pathological addictions were involved in a protocol. All this makes us more confident about a possible containment of the aforementioned problems, thanks to the awareness campaign and other activities envisaged in the agreement which can lead to more incisive and effective interventions for the benefit of our students and the entire school community”.
The extraordinary commissioner of the ASP of Ragusa, Giuseppe Drago adds: “The pmemorandum of understanding is an important and essential sign of collaboration between institutions, which we, as a healthcare company, are honored to sign. It represents a form of investment in health and prevention. We therefore thank the commissioner, Vincenzo Trombadore, for his involvement. Since 2016, the ASP of Ragusa has been equipped with an anti-bullying clinic which, through the role of the school, allows us to offer increasingly adequate tools to combat violence and abuse among young people. Furthermore, we are at the forefront of activities to combat pathological addictions, including gambling, which increasingly characterize the experience of new generations. The search for solutions and initiatives shared with the police headquarters and other institutions is for us a reason for comfort, responsibility and maximum effectiveness”.
