The Women's Affairs Division at Future University, in cooperation with the College of Education, organized a lecture entitled "Violence among Adolescent Peers," with the support of the College's Women's Affairs Unit. The lecture was held on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, at 9:00 AM in Hall 309. The session was moderated by Ms. Liqaa Abbas, Head of Women's Affairs in the Department of Educational and Psychological Sciences. She welcomed the lecturers and students, emphasizing the importance of the topic as one of the issues that touches our lives and deserves our time and effort to explore its various dimensions and ways to deal with it consciously and thoughtfully. A film about violence among adolescent peers was screened and discussed. Professor Dr. Thanaa Bahaa El-Din Abdullah spoke about violence as a global challenge that affects individuals and societies alike. She defined violence as any physical, verbal, or psychological aggressive behavior, including cyberbullying and physical assault. The World Health Organization (WHO, 2020) recorded approximately 200,000 cases. One homicide occurs annually among young people aged 10–29, making it the fourth leading cause of death among this age group. The causes of violence among adolescents are numerous, including an unstable family environment characterized by domestic violence, a lack of parental supervision, and harsh parenting, which fosters aggression in adolescents. In addition, the influence of violent media and video games, peer pressure, and exposure to bullying, particularly in school settings, are also common. Adolescents are also exposed to psychological problems such as stress and anxiety, which may lead them to vent their suffering through violence, as confirmed by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2021). Violence among adolescents causes numerous effects, including deteriorating mental health, such as depression and suicidal thoughts, and a decline in academic achievement. Furthermore, their behavior impacts society, and if it persists, it can turn into criminal behavior. Professor Dr. Sahira Qahtan, head of the Women's Division at the university, spoke about solutions to this phenomenon, such as strengthening the educational role of the family and school through awareness programs for parents on positive parenting methods and implementing school curricula that teach conflict resolution skills, such as the Norwegian Olweus program, which reduced bullying by 50%, as indicated by UNICEF (2020). She also highlighted the need to monitor media content and impose legislation that limits the portrayal of violence in youth-oriented media. She also emphasized the need to support mental health by providing psychological counselors in schools for early detection of problems and establishing activity centers that channel adolescents' energies toward sports or the arts. In conclusion: Combating violence among adolescents requires collaboration between families, schools, and governments. Investing in preventive programs and providing a supportive environment reduces the devastating effects of this phenomenon, ensuring a safer future for generations to come.
(ALMUSTAQBAL University is the first university in Iraq)