DOS head Matija Krope Lenarčič said the organisation had been fighting against different forms of violence among children and the young for years by organising educational events and debates.

This year they opted for a project that will attract the attention of the wider public, not just youths.

In the Week against Violence several outdoor events will be organised with the focal point being a "wall against violence", symbolising divisions among people.

By encouraging students and random passers-by to leave an imprint of their palm on the wall, the DOS wants to "tear down walls and build a society of tolerance and mutual respect", said Lenarčič, who expects the project to gain broad support.

He also expects the campaign to continue after this week through students who will bring the non-violence messages to their schools. "We all have the right to be educated in a non-violent environment," he said.

Pahor and Janković were among the first to leave imprints on the wall, highlighting the importance of tolerance and mutual trust. They stressed the need for more such campaigns, including at primary schools.

The issue of school violence has recently been recognised as a serious problem in Slovenia.

While the Education Ministry is currently drawing up rules all schools should follow in cases of violence, experts warn they should have free hand in choosing how to act.

Vesna Vuk Godina, a professor at the Faculty of Social Studies, told last week's debate on school violence in Bled that 50 years ago there had been significantly less violence among children than there was today.

The reason is that 50 years ago, children were disciplined and punished since early age, she stressed. But today schools have become a "hotbed of violence" and no rules and regulations will improve the situation, she believes.

The head of Slovenian association of principals, Milan Rejc, on the other hand believes there is no more violence today than there was years ago. "But the fact is that we have become more sensitive to it," he told the STA in January.

An international survey on inter-ethnic violence and the rights of children at schools, Voices of the Children 2012, showed that some 9.5% of Slovenian pupils and 3.5% secondary school students suffered physical violence.

The survey in Slovenia was conducted among 390 pupils and 377 secondary school students.