Representatives of the National Students’ Conference (CNEL) believe that bullying in particular is not being taken as seriously as it should. “There are more and more pupils and children asking for help, saying ‘I’m being bullied’, but not receiving help”, explained CNEL vice president Laly Chivard in conversation with RTL. While both physical violence and mental health are sufficiently discussed, not enough is done against bullying, she further noted.
The 17-year-old has experienced bullying herself and knows from her past that more can be done: “When I entered secondary school, I thought ‘okay this is a new beginning, all will work out, it is different, there are educators present, ... the bullying will stop’. However, I was utterly wrong because the bullying went on for another two or three years. It is complicated since one is often told that avoiding a bully is the easiest solution.”
Chivard elaborated that she was eventually advised to no longer walk around school on her own, but that there had never been consequences for her bullies. In general, the CNEL has come to realise that pupils’ willingness to seek help and potential consequences for perpetrators often depend on the Psycho-Social and Educational Support Service (SePAS) of each school.
Umbrella organisation CePAS is currently working on a public disposition to improve secondary schools’ ability to respond to violence and bullying, noted CePAS spokesperson Veronica Rocha. She further explained that this should help clarify options for psychologists, as much as for school principals when it comes to alerting parents or even the police about incidents of bullying.
Rocha announced that a respective pilot project is currently being tested in four secondary schools across Luxembourg and that a new awareness campaign will be launched at the beginning of the next academic year.
It is difficult to assess whether or not bullying has increased given that the latest statistics on the issue stem from 2018. However, a new survey is currently being carried out by all of the country’s Psycho-Social and Educational Support Services, conveyed Rocha: “We already know that violence and bullying are the third leading cause for consultations, following stress and anxiety. Although that is an indicator, it does not necessarily mean that the frequency of bullying has increased, we have to wait for the results of the survey.”
The results of the large-scale survey are expected to be published at the beginning of 2023.
Read also: ‘The bully was expelled, but my child is still scarred by the trauma’
