This new unit, comprising thirteen professionals, has intervened in a total of 25 aggressions, fifteen cases of harassment, and sixteen labor conflicts, according to the initial assessment provided by the ANPE Canarias union. The Education Department of the Government of the Canary Islands presented these figures during a meeting of the Sectorial Table of Education.
In addition to aggressions and harassment, the unit has managed eight situations related to a poor work environment and other incidents. The ANPE union has positively assessed the launch of this service, emphasizing that the numbers confirm a real need and that the problems annually reported by El Defensor del Profesor (The Teacher's Advocate) are merely the tip of the iceberg of a larger issue.
“"These numbers are the best demonstration that the creation of the unit responded to a real need and also highlight that the data published annually by El Defensor del Profesor, far from being exaggerated, are the tip of the iceberg of a problem of greater scope."
ANPE Canarias recalls that it launched the El Defensor del Profesor service back in 2008 due to the lack of a specific resource from the Regional Government for teachers facing violence or harassment. Since then, this service has provided support to over 2,000 teachers across the islands.
The UBP, under the Directorate General of Personnel and Teacher Training, operates as a centralized point for reception, listening, guidance, and referral, assessing each case to determine the most appropriate intervention. The unit, operational since April 9th, includes two psychologists (one per province), five Human Resources professionals, and six from Occupational Risk Prevention, aiming for both conflict intervention and preventive action.
Teachers can contact the Unit through the internal system Cau_Ce, eight phone lines for immediate interventions, and an email address. During the 2024-25 academic year, at least 171 serious incidents affecting teachers in the exercise of their profession were reported.
