Sutaj Estok on Youth Radicalisation: Detecting Warning Signs Early Is Crucial

Bratislava, 11 February (TASR) - In cases of youth radicalisation, it's necessary to identify warning signs early enough, while help must come before the problem turns into an incident, prioritising prevention over repression, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) told a press conference following the second round table on youth radicalisation in Bratislava on Wednesday. According to him, the ministries should prepare legislative changes by June this year in order to set up interconnected systems where schools, social services, healthcare, local governments and security forces will be able to cooperate. Sutaj Estok stressed that the problem of youth radicalisation is not limited to Slovakia, but is seen all around Europe, with online environment playing a significant role. Children and young people are exposed to a permanent sense of uncertainty, conflicts and everyday pressure, he said. Education Minister Tomas Drucker (Voice-SD) recalled plans to regulate children's use of social networks, describing their radicalisation as sort of a failure. "We don't have everything in our hands. Social networks are a huge phenomenon with many pros and cons. Although we're all interconnected, young people suffer more from loneliness, anxiety and many mental health disorders. There's enormous pressure and uniformity, and certainly many seeds of problems. But once again, if we're unable to respond to this and prevent it, the state has failed," added Drucker. Children's Commissioner Jozef Miklosko added that, according to a survey carried out by the Office of the Children's Commissioner, 91 percent of children consider violence, rudeness and aggression to be the most serious problems they face. jrg