24th Annual Conference of the International Association for Youth Affairs (IAGJ) in Erfurt

How can violence among peers be prevented more effectively, detected at an early stage, and addressed effectively?

From 22 to 25 September 2026, the OEJQS took part in the 24th Annual Conference of the International Association for Youth Affairs (IAGJ) in Erfurt in Germany. The topic: “Peer-to-peer violence: Support in everyday pedagogical practice and in criminal proceedings when violence is perpetrated by young people.”

As part of the Luxembourg delegation, Andreas Heinen and Patrick Thoma from the OEJQS contributed to the professional exchange with two presentations.

1. As part of the national report on Luxembourg, they provided an up-to-date overview of the Luxembourg system for child protection and the prevention of violence in school and out-of-school settings; they explained how the judicial system deals with peer-to-peer violence and outlined the latest developments in child and youth policy in Luxembourg.
   
2. Under the title “Peer violence in the digital space – empirical insights from Luxembourg”, they also presented the results of a survey on cyberbullying. The data presented illustrated the forms of digital violence that young people encounter and provided an empirical basis for discussions on prevention, support, and possible pedagogical responses.

The exchange with experts from Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the Netherlands demonstrated the importance of cross-border comparisons for further developing prevention measures, support services, and policy strategies.