After several suicide cases among young people, the French government wants to take more decisive action against bullying in schools. In the future, students who bully others will have their mobile phones taken away. They should also be temporarily blocked from online networks such as Facebook and Instagram.
“We will wage a relentless fight against bullying,” French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne announced on Wednesday evening. In France, it is estimated that a tenth of students experience bullying. Some young people who had previously spoken out about continued decline even committed suicide.
An example is 15-year-old Elias, who had already changed schools after being bullied. His parents had complained to the school management that they had not responded sufficiently. President Emmanuel Macron has now stated that he will make the issue a “top priority” for the new school year.
Perpetrators must change schools
Education Minister Gabriel Attal had announced that in the future, perpetrators and not victims, as was often the case in the past, would have to change schools. If there are indications of bullying, the Public Prosecution Service should now be systematically involved. There are also plans to confiscate the perpetrators’ mobile phones and block online networks such as Facebook and Instagram.
Empathy courses are coming
Blocking should be the job of the platforms. Those who do not comply with the measure risk fines of up to 75,000 euros. It is still unclear how to prevent affected students from creating new accounts. Attal also wants to introduce empathy courses based on the Danish model from next year. The aim is to make children and young people aware of bullying. Parents and teachers also need to be better informed about the dangers.
If you or someone close to you is in an exceptional psychological situation or suffers from suicidal thoughts, please contact the telephone advice service on 142. Other crisis hotlines and emergency numbers can be found here. HERE.
Source: Krone
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