In the plot of the popular movie "Silence" about campus bullying, the perpetrators do whatever they want with their power, while the silence of bystanders encourages the spread of crime. A survey by
shows that after being bullied, 60% of children choose to suffer silently. Among the bystanders, more than half will leave silently. What is the source of this silence? What's the harm? How to break the silence?
On the occasion of the popularity of "Silent Kill", Cover News reporters interviewed experts in law and educational psychology. Experts said that school bullying should not just be treated as a campus problem, but should attract the attention and attention of the whole society.
poster of the movie "Silence". Image source CCTV
How to define bullying?
What is school bullying? In October 2020, the newly revised "Minor Protection Law" defined "student bullying" for the first time, "refers to an incident between students where one party intentionally or maliciously bullies and humiliates the other party through physical, verbal and online means, causing the other party to Acts that cause personal injury, property damage or mental damage.” In addition, laws and regulations such as the "Strengthening the Comprehensive Management Plan for Bullying among Primary and Secondary School Students" also use the expression "student bullying".
Chen Qiang, a lawyer at the Beijing Juvenile Legal Aid and Research Center. Photo provided by interviewee
Chen Qiang, a lawyer at the Beijing Youth Legal Aid and Research Center, pointed out that in practical research, "student bullying" is usually used to refer to "school bullying", "campus bullying", etc. Combining the definition of the "Minor Protection Act" and related cases, he divided student bullying into six forms of expression: physical, verbal, social, online, financial, and sexual.
"Physical bullying is the most obvious and easiest to identify. Forms such as verbal and social bullying that do not directly cause physical harm are more difficult to identify, and there are greater difficulties in obtaining evidence, confirming facts, and determining causality." Chen Qiang said that in some cases, In many cases, the bullied have been insulted, abused, excluded, and spread rumors for a long time. However, how to prove that the other party has committed infringement and how to confirm the causal relationship between the other party's behavior and the bullied's mental harm is very difficult for the bullied and their guardians. .
He revealed that the Beijing Youth Legal Aid and Research Center currently handles more than 1,200 consultations involving student bullying, of which physical bullying accounts for more than 40%; insults, verbal abuse, insulting nicknames and other verbal bullying cases of nearly 300 cases, accounting for about 25% . In addition, in some incidents, the victims were bullied in various ways, such as being beaten and verbally insulted, and videos were recorded and sent to WeChat groups and short video platforms, causing physical and psychological harm to the bullied.
What is the source of silence?
Silence is the "accomplice" of campus bullying. What is the root cause of silence? "Being unable to speak, not daring to speak, and not wanting to speak are the reasons for the performance of silence." Li Xiaorong, a second-level professor at Chengdu Normal University and honorary chairman of the Sichuan Psychological Society, divides this into two situations. One is to protect oneself out of a psychological defense mechanism. , feeling that speaking will be threatened; there is another kind, speaking is even more terrifying than silence, because what you say is not realistic, and it does not reveal the truth but conceals it.
Li Xiaorong, second-level professor at Chengdu Normal University and honorary chairman of the Sichuan Psychological Society. Photo provided by interviewee
Chen Qiang believes that student bullying will cause harm to the bullied and the bully.
Not only causes physical and mental harm to the bullied, but also property losses. Bullies are easily labeled as "bad students" and alienated. After the behavior is exposed, the bully and the parents may be condemned by public opinion and suffer psychological pressure. In addition, they need to bear corresponding responsibilities. The lighter ones will be subject to educational punishment and disciplinary sanctions, while the more serious ones may receive corrective education or even be sentenced.
Bystanders may have anxiety, fear, etc., worrying about becoming the next target, or they may feel guilty and accept moral condemnation. Additionally, value deviations may occur and bullying behaviors may be imitated. As far as schools are concerned, it will encourage bad habits, make students feel insecure, and further affect students' learning and life and the work of teachers and staff.How does
break the silence?
In 2017, 11 departments including the Ministry of Education issued the "Plan for Strengthening the Comprehensive Management of Bullying among Primary and Secondary School Students", which stipulates the basic principles, responsibilities of all parties, and disposal procedures for preventing and controlling student bullying, and proposes that schools establish a student bullying management committee to be responsible for identifying bullying. and processing. Since then, Guizhou, Shandong, Hainan, Ningxia, Shaanxi and other provinces have issued relevant local documents. The "Minor Protection Law" revised in 2021 clarifies the concept of student bullying and requires schools to establish a prevention and control system.
Based on relevant consultations and cases, Chen Qiang believes that the school level’s emphasis on bullying, education prevention and handling procedures are still insufficient. For example, he said some parents reported that their children had been physically harmed or verbally insulted and asked the school to determine whether it constituted bullying, but were delayed. In addition, some schools have not established standardized disposal procedures, such as privately organizing mediation between minors on both sides, and guardians do not understand and do not participate in the disposal.
He suggested that from a preventive perspective, we should formulate and improve a working system to prevent and control student bullying, including establishing a governance committee and formulating relevant rules and regulations, such as faculty and staff responsibilities, emergency response plans, and education and punishment regulations for students who violate regulations. At the same time, education and training should be strengthened, including bullying prevention education for students and improving the understanding and handling capabilities of faculty and staff. In addition, we will strengthen the supervision of key places such as dormitories, bathrooms and other surveillance blind spots, as well as campus post bars and other spaces where cyberbullying is prone to occur. Strengthen guidance and education for those who commit bad behaviors, and strengthen the protection of those who are potentially bullied due to withdrawn personalities, family changes, etc.
From the disposal level, it is recommended that schools open reporting channels; actively perform investigation and disposal functions, adopt measures such as criticism and education, ordering apology, education and punishment, and reporting to judicial organs and education administrative departments; and do a good job in dealing with the aftermath, including continuous support for those who have been bullied. , correct bullies and guide other students, etc.
How to prevent and treat campus bullying?
Li Xiaorong pointed out that the complexity, integrity and social nature of campus bullying cannot be underestimated. Bullying cannot only be regarded as an education issue or a campus issue. Bullying can occur in various environments such as family, workplace, and school. To trigger the joint efforts of society, "home-school-society linkage" is extremely important in preventing, overcoming and solving school bullying.
He also said that cultivating people with moral integrity can help relieve tension and reduce harm in the environment. The simultaneous development of moral, intellectual, physical, artistic and labor education is in line with the psychological characteristics and value orientation of young people. In addition, it is necessary to study the logic and causes and propose solutions before, during and after the incident. For example, in the prevention stage, attention should be paid to the mental health of special student groups; during and after the incident, the motivations of the perpetrators and the reasons why the victims did not dare to resist should be studied.
Cover News Reporter Dai Yun
