A disturbing incident shocked Tunisian public opinion yesterday, after videos widely circulated on social media showed four teenage girls violently assaulting another student in front of a high school in Sidi Hassine Sijoumi, Tunis.
While school-based violence is not new, this case sparked particular outrage because the aggressors were girls — traditionally perceived as the “gentler sex” — and because of the vindictive, almost punitive manner of the attack.
These recurring incidents within educational institutions have long sounded the alarm, calling for a collective response to understand, identify causes, and address this growing phenomenon. In an analytical statement to Tunisie Numérique this Thursday, sociologist Sami Nasr affirmed that violence has been deeply rooted in Tunisian society for years — but what is new is the intensification and widening spread of this violence.
From isolated behavior to a “social tsunami”
According to Nasr, violence in Tunisia has evolved through three stages:
- An isolated behavior, sporadic and limited;
- A social phenomenon, fostered by multiple enabling factors;
- A culture of violence, far more dangerous, comparable to a “social tsunami” capable of sweeping away everything in its path.
Violence now affects all age groups, all social classes, both genders, and both urban and rural environments. Traditional sociological variables once used to examine such phenomena have lost much of their analytical value as violence becomes pervasive across the spectrum.
Normalization of violence: the core of the crisis
Nasr attributes this alarming trajectory to a central cause: the normalization of violence in Tunisian society.
Drawing on Pierre Bourdieu’s theory, he explains that a child raised in a violent environment naturally internalizes that violence and later reproduces it in public spheres — a pattern also visible in marital relationships.
When violence becomes a tool for social recognition
The sociologist highlights a shift in societal values:
“We no longer live according to the values that once defined right from wrong. Today, we live under values of sensationalism and attention-seeking.”
This shift has transformed violence into a means of social affirmation. The aggressor:
• commits the act,
• records it,
• shares it online,
• and gains prestige and visibility through the violence itself.
Violence thus becomes a symbolic asset, a tool for social recognition rather than a behavior condemned by the community.
The three levels of violence
Nasr distinguishes three degrees of violence:
- Reactive (emotional) violence, triggered impulsively;
- Expressive violence, where individuals vent frustrations verbally or physically;
- Instrumental violence, where violence becomes a deliberate tool to achieve a goal — the most dangerous form.
Tunisia is currently experiencing all three types simultaneously.
Minimizing verbal violence is a dangerous mistake
The sociologist warns against categorizing verbal violence as “mild.”
This mistake, he says, has contributed to its spread. Verbal abuse can leave psychological scars that last far longer than physical injuries and should never be taken lightly.
“Tunisian society is ill”
Nasr concludes with a stark assessment:
“Tunisian society is sick. We must repair the ethical and moral fabric of society just as we work on economic reforms, the value of the dinar, and managing public debt.”
For him, combating violence must become a national priority, equal in importance to the country’s major economic challenges.
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