Liepāja schools face surge in violent fights among children this year

"In recent weeks, I've started to get worried because there have been cases of more brutal fights in schools, where children fight with each other to the point that several victims end up in the ward," said Jūlija Cīrule-Galuza, a paediatrician at Liepāja Regional Hospital.

The injuries vary. In the most severe cases, the victims were kicked in the head, leaving long-term physical and emotional consequences. Doctors are concerned that most cases are likely not even recorded.

"The children themselves say that this is usually not the first time that there have been conflicts. They didn't know how to resolve it. They didn't know where to look for help," the pediatrician said.

All educational institutions in Liepāja have encountered the problem of resolving student conflict situations. This year, the State Police in Liepāja have recorded four such cases. Ingus Ukstiņš, head of the Liepāja police station of the Kurzeme Regional Administration, said: "There are certain educational institutions that have repeatedly come to the [police's attention] both in Liepāja and in the South Kurzeme region."

Emergency medical services have been called to Piemare Elementary School twice this year due to violent incidents.

"Very often, the conflict is between parents, between mums and dads. And at school, children try to settle scores with each other because [their] mums have a conflict. And they simply defend their mum," said Galina Skorobogatova, principal of Liepāja Piemare Elementary School.

Kārlis Strautiņš, principal of Liepāja Rainiša Secondary School, said: "There are also cases when parents say that physical violence is justifiable: 'My father raised me by clipping me on the back of the head, if I clip my son's abuser on the back of the head, then everything would be fine'."

The summer holidays are potentially even more worrying for doctors, because then the education system will not be able to control the situation. Experience shows that children are more likely to suffer from violence then. Often they have used intoxicating substances.

Pediatrician Cīrule-Galuza recalled a girl's story about using intoxicants. "There were five or six people who used intoxicants. And the reaction was like aggression. She also wanted to hurt herself. It is not excluded that those other people, under the influence of the substances, can harm not only themselves, but also others."

The police and educational institutions encourage the public to report any suspicions of emotional or physical violence, both between children and within families.