The president of Monaco’s National Council, Brigitte Boccone-Pagès, has used the International Day Against Violence and Bullying in Schools to make clear her commitments to ending harassment in schools and has called on the government for support.
The International Day Against Violence and Bullying in Schools including Cyberbullying, which is held each year on 2nd November, seeks to raise awareness on the different forms that the bullying of school age children can take, from overt schoolyard taunts to more insidious online attacks.
All forms are damaging, and children who are bullied can develop low self-esteem and experience higher rates of depression as they grow up. In France, it is estimated that nearly one in 10 children are victims of this kind of behaviour.
CALL FOR SUPPORT
As part of International Day Against Violence and Bullying in Schools including Cyberbullying, Monaco’s National Council President Brigitte Boccone-Pagès, as well as Mathilde Le Clerc, the president of the Committee on Education, Youth and Sports, came together to reiterate their shared commitment to eradicating harassment in Monaco’s schools.
The issue has been a priority of elected officials since 2019, when they started the ball rolling on legislation to tackle the problem by incorporating penalties for school bullying into the Principality’s legal framework. The complete bill, signed in 2021, is intended “to better prevent, detect and resolve bullying situations by providing an appropriate and dissuasive criminal response”.
A “national cause”
The bill was made law in September 2022 and various actions have been implemented in Monaco’s schools since, such as awareness activities and classes for students, the appointment of a harassment-violence representative who acts as an intermediary in matters of bullying, and teacher and staff training programmes to help educators spot and deal with these types of situations as they arise.
With the 2023 Amending Budget debates continuing in the Council, Le Clerc has requested the government step in and provide a dedicated budget, as well as “concrete actions”, to further combat bullies.
“The State must commit to making the fight against this scourge a national cause” she said. “It is up to the government to provide a response commensurate with the challenge and the suffering of the young victims and of their families.”
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Photo source: Nadine Shaabana, Unsplash