Early intervention at schools needed to prevent violence among students, says Lee

Lee Lam Thye, chairman of the Alliance for a Safe Community, has emphasized the need for early intervention in schools to curb violence among students. Schools should enhance non-violent communication and conflict resolution programs, he argues, while training teachers, counsellors, and administrators to spot aggressive behavior before it escalates to fatal outcomes.

Lee warns that recent violent incidents among students and youths risk desensitizing society to violence and normalizing physical force as a means to resolve conflicts. Educators and school staff require improved methods to identify early warning signs, such as severe bullying, explicit threats, and growing aggression. Parents are urged to serve as positive role models, demonstrating self-control, respect, and peaceful conflict resolution at home, as children learn behaviors from their surroundings.

Lee stresses that society faces a danger of becoming desensitized to violence, potentially accepting aggressive behavior and physical force as acceptable solutions. He underlines that while offenders must be held accountable, addressing the root cause necessitates a comprehensive preventive strategy encompassing all societal levels.

Lee also points to social media as a contributing factor to youth aggression, warning that exposure to cyberbullying, online humiliation, and violent content can normalize violence in the real world. The call for urgent action follows a string of violent incidents involving students at educational institutions over the past year, including the death of a schoolgirl in Yong Peng, the murder of a polytechnic student, and the stabbing of a female student at a school in Bandar Utama.