2023-11-14 14:00:01
Many children are victims of school bullying. There are several types such as physical or psychological violence, cyberharassment, discrimination and sexual violence. The government and the Ministry of National Education have put in place new measures for the start of the 2023 school year. They aim to preserve the mental health of students who are victims of school bullying.
Impact of school bullying on the mental health of students
School bullying results in repeated violence towards a student: mockery, physical gestures, exclusion, discrimination, intimidation. In France, between 800,000 and one million students are victims of harassment, or 6 to 10% of them. Bullying seriously harms students’ mental health and their success.
This phenomenon has intensified with the development of digital technology and multimedia devices. They are exposed to a new form of violence: cyberbullying. Most children who are bullied tend to keep their bad experiences to themselves.
Many students find themselves in distress situations and their behavior can change significantly. A bullied child may show visible signs at home and at school:
- a withdrawal into oneself, generally alone or away from other students;
- a notable impact on academic performance;
- school phobia, repeated absences;
- loss of appetite or eating disorders (bulimia, anorexia);
- self-harming behavior;
- of the anxious somatizations: insomnia, vomiting, loss of appetite, headaches, anxiety attacks;
- an increase in the consumption of alcohol or illicit products among a teenager.
In all circumstances, it is imperative to identify school bullying and break the silence. The government has established emergency measures to combat violence at school and preserve the victims.
New measures put in place once morest school bullying
The government considers the situation a national emergency. In 2021 the implementation of PHARe program helps fight once morest school bullying. In addition, national prevention days are organized each year such as:
- the national day once morest school bullying (scheduled for November)
- Safer Internet Day to raise awareness of digital uses (scheduled for February).
A telephone line is available, allowing the child or a member of his family to report the violence of which he is a victim within his establishment. This platform is accessible at 3020 and 3018 for victims of cyberharassment.
For the 2023 school year, National Education is increasing its efforts and wishes to put in place new control measures once morest school bullying.
- 100% of educational establishments must register for the pHARe program.
- Each school must free up two hours to submit a anonymous questionnaire for students. It will make it possible to identify victims of harassment.
- Every school must participate in national days.
Transversally, the pHARe program and the overall fight once morest school bullying involve an internal reorganization within the establishment.
The role of schools in the fight once morest bullying
As of the start of the 2023 school year, all establishments must be registered in the pHARe program. These measures provide concrete solutions to stop harassing students and involve all those involved in the fight once morest harassment.
The establishment’s role is to break the silence (victims, witnesses, harassers), to raise awareness among parents and students regarding school bullying and to form a protective team. Teachers must be able to detect violence and identify groups of harassers.
“It sometimes happens that children fight or show a violent attitude, but without the desire to harass the other. In the case of harassment, there is a notion of duration and intention to harm” explains Hélène Romano, psychologist.
Schools are subject to new rules to combat harassment :
- deployment of harassment coordinators,
- staff training,
- organization of empathy courses,
- risk detection courses for volunteer parents,
- parent/student talking time,
- making contact with the academic intervention team (advisors or mediators).
Measures to combat school bullying therefore cover practical solutions and dynamic supervision.. It involves all stakeholders, not only within establishments, but also among educators, law enforcement and justice. The pHARe program also includes a health and digital part. It is important to act, because this ongoing violence leads to tragic ends with a +300% increase in suicide attempts among young people under 15 over the last ten years.
Sources
– PHARe: a program to combat bullying at school, www.education.gouv.fr. Accessed October 31, 2023.
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