Ending Bullying

With the Greek government's announcement of the new regulations regarding schools and a shocking video, we remembered a timeless pathology: bullying. Therefore, we are again familiarizing ourselves with a phenomenon in which we have all played a part in: bullies, victims, bystanders, etc. However, school bullying seems to have taken on greater proportions than in the past, and with 1 in 3 children having been bullied at school, it seems to be a correct assumption. Let's see, now, how this new bill deals with the aspects of this phenomenon.

The first and main provision of the bill is the creation of a platform for reporting bullying incidents. Through this, an active role in combating bullying is promoted and made easier. At the moment, any child who wants to report such an incident will need to contact a teacher in person. In this case, they possibly exposes themselves to danger, because they can become the new target of the bullies. Thus, despite the good intentions of some students, many are afraid to take action, something that the anonymous platform will likely solve.

Of course, this measure also comes with some problems that are indiscernible at first glance. The main one is that the system itself can be exploited by bullies to cause trouble to other students, or used among students for personal disputes. So it is useful to check each complaint thoroughly without jumping to conclusions. More importantly, however, this particular measure appears to be a Band-Aid, not a long-term solution. A platform used to pin students against one another may reduce bullying but instils the wrong ideals in them. That is because children become snitches instead of becoming strong and whole people who will stop an incident at the time it is happening. This means that students will be more inclined to report on an incident and not do something to prevent it. This creates a tense atmosphere among students because the feeling of trust decreases when one tells on the other.

Ας πάμε τώρα σε ένα άλλο μέτρο: κάθε παιδί που θα εκθέτει τους συμμαθητές του στα μέσα κοινωνικής δικτύωσης, θα αλλάζει σχολικό περιβάλλον. Το ηλεκτρονικό bullying έχει ξεπεράσει το κλασσικό και δια ζώσης bullying όχι μόνο σε συχνότητα, αλλά και σε επίδραση. Άλλο είναι το παιδί να γίνει θύμα ενός περιστατικού bullying και άλλο είναι το περιστατικό να καταγραφεί και να κοινοποιηθεί σε τρίτους. Στην περίπτωση αυτή η κατάσταση είναι χειρότερη. Είναι χειρότερη γιατί το θύμα αναγκάζεται να ξαναβιώσει το τραύμα του αλλά και γιατί η διαπόμπευση μπορεί να τον απομονώσει από παρέες, κάνοντας αναγκαία την πρόληψη τέτοιας εξέλιξης. Άρα, το να τιμωρούνται τόσο βαριά τα παιδιά για τέτοιες πράξεις, δημιουργεί δυνατό αντικίνητρο για να μειωθεί  η συμπεριφορά αυτή. Θα μειωθεί, έτσι, το cyberbullying (ηλεκτρονικό bullying) όσο και οι μαθητές ίσως να αρχίσουν να παίρνουν ενεργό ρόλο στην επίλυση περιστατικών, όχι να βγάζουν απλά μια κάμερα, κάτι που δεν βλέπουμε μόνο από παιδιά αλλά και από ενήλικες στην κοινωνία μας.

Of course, among these penalties and disincentives, the Minister of Education also announced the recruitment of a psychologist per school, to protect the mental health of children and to limit school bullying and its effects. This is might be the most effective out of all the measures. Because let's be honest: children are children and they will make mistakes, so they need professional support in order to correct them. Yes, punishment is necessary. However, proper mental guidance is also a requirement. We don't know what every child experiences after school hours, so let us not be too quick to judge them.

Furthermore, the measure also works in terms of behavioural psychology, where simply punishing the individual makes them hide the behaviour, not stop it. Only when the correct behaviour is presented as an alternative can punishment work. Psychologists can provide this alternative.

Ultimately, the bill appears to be a good start in limiting the phenomenon, at least in theory. The measures may look satisfactory but it remains unknown if they will succeed or if they will even be implemented. If, of course, incidents of bullying are reduced, this will be a vindication for all the victims who have gone through this terrible ordeal. It will also be an opportunity for other children to not be mere observers but to stand up against violence. It will be a start in protecting the abusers from their bad selves. So let's save every child! Our society’s future depends on it.