The Education Ministry, the police, and the prosecutor's office on Wednesday launched a joint campaign to tackle bullying and the rising trend of spreading violent content online.
The campaign, entitled 'Not sharing is caring', comes as a reaction to a recent bullying video of young adults that spread like wildfire on social media and stirred debates on appropriate handling of such situations. The main message of the campaign is that the distribution of violent content is prohibited and punishable by law, which is why witnesses should opt to alarm authorities rather than spread videos online.
At the campaign launch on Wednesday, Minister Meisch explained that although the act of bullying is not a new phenomenon, the near-limitless spreading of recorded content on the internet has turned into an aggravating factor: "What's new about it is that [bullying videos] are consciously and massively shared through social media. This phenomenon has been preoccupying us intensively since one to two years."
David Lentz, the deputy state attorney, stated that individuals recording and spreading content are subject to prosecution even if they did not directly participate in the act of bullying themselves: "Filming engenders secondary victimisation of victims on social networks. Whoever films risks liability for failing to assist a person in danger and there is a specific article in the criminal code, which can specifically punish this with up to five years of imprisonment."
People who are caught face legal consequences, added Lentz, even if sanctions for minors tend to be so-called diversion measures. In terms of trends, the prosecutor argued that it is a misconception that youths are becoming increasingly aggressive and that it it is rather society in general that is displaying a greater willingness to resort to violence.
While parents are advised to monitor the behavioural trends of their children, efforts of deterring bullying are to be strengthened by the forthcoming introduction of a "pupil protection delegate" in each secondary school, according to a written statement.
At the presentation, Minister Meisch further pleaded for better communication between secondary school directorates and announced that new training programmes will be offered in the new academic year.
Opinion -Martin Jonsson: Us adults should know better than to get involved in spreading bullying
