High school initiation ceremonies may be either a positive experience or an unacceptable form of violence

Peer violence among youth becoming increasingly frequent online

2. september 2017 ob 8.33 • Ljubljana - MMC RTV SLO

For the first few days in September, streets of larger Slovenian cities with secondary schools are typically awash with young people having colourful scrawls on their faces and arms. Foto: BoBo

The Veno Pilon High School in Ajdovščina has decided to welcome its freshmen by organising a special initiation ceremony that shows this event can be a very positive experience. Seniors have greeted their three years younger colleagues with freshly baked muffins and had already been preparing for the arrival of new students during the summer holidays.

For the first few days in September, streets of larger Slovenian cities with secondary schools are typically awash with young people having colourful scrawls on their faces and arms; their clothes are sometimes even stained from liquids or food being thrown at them. This strange sight comes from a tradition called "pheasaning", a ritual of initiating freshmen into high school. This ceremony has been present in Slovenia for quite some time now. Seniors scrawl the faces of freshmen, the so-called "pheasants", with colour markers, stain their clothes or give them some strange mixtures to drink.

"Pheasaning" is a fun ritual for many students but others may find this sort of hazing quite unpleasant. "Pheasaning is unacceptable in all environments. I would be distressed if someone tried to draw all over me, I wouldn't like that," emphasized Simon Slokan from the General Police Department, warning that such actions are considered a criminal offence and should not be acceptable in any society. "If someone feels humiliated and reports this, the police will treat it as an offence," added Slokan.

According to Slokan, last year the police got over 30 reports of offences as defined in the Protection of Public Order Act. If perpetrators are minors, the court issues an allegation proposal at court. In other cases, financial penalty is ordered.

Initiations of freshmen – which are being maltreated by their older school colleagues sprinkling flour or pouring eggs on the head – are merely one form of peer violence. Experts believe there exist many forms of violence among youth in Slovenia, yet it appears to be a bit of a grey area as there are relatively few reporting and measures being taken. The young often hide the problems they're facing from others.

It's not like that in Ajdovščina. Six generations of the grammar school as well as the pre-school education programme have now been spared from having to go through an unpleasant or even violent transition. Their older peers greet them with kindness.

"Six years ago and before that, we had also been witness to such extremely humiliating receptions with scrawling, which we're still seeing all across Slovenia nowadays, and we – the teachers – were appalled. Last year there were still a few freshmen with scrawls on their faces, but none this year," explains Melita Lemut Bajec, a teacher at the Veno Pilon High School and the initiator of the project for a friendly reception of freshmen. The school has thus become an example of good practice, offering a pleasant and safe environment.

Gregor Cerar (MMC), Nataša Mihelič (TV Slovenija); translated by K. Z.