Greece launches campaign, measures against bullying in schools

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced on Tuesday the launching of a national campaign against bullying in schools, a phenomenon that has sharply increased in the school year 2023-2024.

“It is a comprehensive plan which speaks openly about the problem. We cannot sweep it under the rug. It exists. It concerns all of us, not only the state. It concerns all the institutions, it concerns the church, it concerns the parents, the parents’ associations. We must first recognize it and then present an overall plan,” Mitsotakis underlined addressing high school students and teachers in Polychni by Thessaloniki.

The prime minister emphasized that behind bullying lies an intolerance of diversity and urged victims of bullying to speak up.

The anti-bullying campaign includes a long spot to be broadcast on television channels but also a series of measures such as:

• an online platform (stop-bullying.gov.gr) where victims and eyewitnesses can submit their complain. However, submission cannot be anonymous
• up to 5-day suspension from school for perpetrators. The same punishment will be imposed to those who have filmed incidents of bulling with their mobile phones.
• in case of leakage of personal data about children’s private moments on the internet then there will be a change in the school environment.
• the school is responsive to deal with a bullying incident; depending on the seriousness of the incident, an experts’ committee at the Education Ministry will take over.
• increase in the number of psychologists who have already increased from 2,000 to 4,000,
• training of teachers
• parents will come up for the cost of damages and willful vandalism committed by students

The use of mobile phone goes hand in hand with the most serious incidents of bullying, said Education Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis during the campaign presentation.

He stressed that regarding the rates of school violence, Greece is above the average of OECD countries, but there is progress in terms of the number of children who have experienced incidents. In contrast, the intensity of  bullying  has increased.

A survey published in March found that one in three students falls victim of bullying in schools.

PS As usual in the conservative country, the measures are purely punitive and there no provisions to educate both students and parents.