Peruvian courts prevent school violence through student mediation
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Between 2025 and mid-2026, student peace judges across Peru approved 228 agreements resolving conflicts like bullying and aggression in schools.
The Justice of Peace School Program, led by Janet Tello Gilardi of the Judiciary, works to establish a culture of peace and peaceful conflict resolution within schools. These student judges, along with student secretaries, operate school conciliation centers where they mediate disputes between students who have not committed crimes.
The program began in 2016 with the idea that schools are ideal places to teach justice, dialogue, and responsibility, benefiting students, educators, and the wider community. Students serving as judges and secretaries are selected by teachers and peers, generally chosen from the top of their classes, and receive annual training. They document their agreements in official records. In 2026, 319 schools participated in the program, involving 582 student judges and 583 student secretaries, reaching 1,165 student leaders.
The program recently focused on schools in areas with high crime rates, identified through databases from the National Observatory of Citizen Security and ESCALE. Unit of Educational Quality Statistics. Courts are now expanding the program’s reach within these 102 prioritised schools through training and awareness campaigns.
