Background paper on protecting children from bullying and cyberbullying Expert Consultation on protecting children from bullying and cyberbullying 9 – 10 May 2016 Florence, Italy 1 “The teacher showed us a sheet of paper and said we could spit on it, stamp on it, crumple it – but not tear it. Then she asked us to try and straighten it out again, but it was impossible to smooth out all the creases. Then she said this is what it’s like when someone gets bullied. There should be a teacher who goes into all classes and does this from primary 1 to primary 7 – right up until upper secondary. And they need to do it more than once”.1 11-year-old boy I. Introduction A. Background 1. The UN General Assembly, in its resolution 69/158, called for a report on protecting children from bullying. Recognizing that bullying, including cyberbullying, can have a negative impact on the rights of children, the report should place an emphasis on causes and effects, good practices and guidance to prevent and respond to bullying. 2. The same resolution encouraged Member States to: (a) take all appropriate measures to prevent and protect children, including in school, from any form of violence, including any form of bullying, by promptly responding to such acts, and to provide appropriate support to children affected by and involved in bullying; (b) continue to promote and invest in education, including as a long-term and lifelong process by which everyone learns tolerance and respect for the dignity of others and the means and methods of ensuring such respect in all societies; (c) generate statistical information and data disaggregated by sex, age and other relevant variables at the national level, and to provide information on disability, with regard to the problem of bullying, as a basis on which to elaborate effective public policies; (d) raise public awareness, involving family members, legal guardians, caregivers, youth, schools, communities, community leaders and the media as well as civil society organizations, with the participation of children, regarding the protection of children from bullying; and (e) share national experiences and best practices for preventing and tackling bullying, including cyberbullying. 3. The development of the report of the Secretary-General took on special relevance with the adoption, in September 2015, of the new global development agenda: 1 Submission of the Ombudsman for Children, Norway, “I want to have good dreams”, children’s and young people’s hearing on bullying and offences at school, October 2014 (available in the files of the Secretariat). 2 “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. The 2030 Agenda addresses violence against children as a cross cutting concern, and includes concrete commitments under a number of Goals and targets. In particular, under Sustainable Development Goal 16, on the promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies, the 2030 Agenda includes a specific target “to end abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children” (target 16.2). And, under Sustainable Development Goal 4 on inclusive and equitable quality education, it highlights the importance of knowledge and skills on human rights and the promotion of a culture of peace and non- violence (target 4.7), as well as the provision of child, gender and disability sensitive facilities and safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all (indicator 4.a). 4. Bullying and cyberbullying affect a high percentage of children, generating depression, loneliness, anxiety and low self-esteem, humiliation, frustration and anger, and are associated with long lasting consequences for children’s development, health and education. With the growing access to smartphones and information and communication technologies (ICTs), cyberbullying is becoming an increasing source of concern, placing children at risk of harassment and abuse, reaching out quicker and wider, and magnifying vulnerabilities amongst children who are at risk in the offline world. Verbal, physical, sexual or gender-based in nature, online or offline, bullying and cyberbullying can have a serious impact on both the victim and the perpetrator, and compromise the enjoyment of children’s rights. 5. The UN Study on Violence against Children (UN Study)2 highlighted these concerns, recognizing that they constitute a pattern of behaviour rather than isolated events. Many significant developments have taken place since the adoption of the UN Study by the General Assembly, within and beyond the UN system. To advance the implementation of the recommendations of the UN Study, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children has issued a number of reports relevant to this topic, including “Tackling Violence in Schools: a global perspective; bridging the gap between standards and practice”;3 “Releasing children’s potential and minimizing risks: ICTs, the Internet and Violence against Children”;4 Toward a world free from violence: Global Survey on Violence against Children”;5 and “Protecting children from cyberbullying”,6 contained in her 2016 report to the Human Rights Council. B. Methodology 6. In response to General Assembly resolution 69/158, the present background paper was developed in light of information received from Member States,7 national independent 2 A/61/299. 3 http://srsg.violenceagainstchildren.org/page/847, “Tackling violence in schools: A global perspective: Bridging the gaps between standards and practice”, New York, 2013. 4 http://srsg.violenceagainstchildren.org/page/1154, Releasing children’s potential and minimizing risks: ICTs, the Internet and violence against children, New York, 2014. 5 http://srsg.violenceagainstchildren.org/page/920, Toward a world free from violence: Global Survey on Violence against Children, New York, 2016. 6 http://srsg.violenceagainstchildren.org/sites/default/files/documents/docs/A_HRC_31_20_EN.pdf (A/HRC/31/20, sect. III). 7 Andorra, Argentina, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Georgia, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Luxembourg, Malta, 3 human rights institutions, including offices of Ombuds for Children,8 United Nations agencies and actors, civil society organizations and other relevant stakeholders. Submissions received addressed, in particular: (a) national legislation on prevention and response to bullying and cyberbullying and on the protection of children therefrom; (b) public policies to prevent and respond to such behaviour; (c) research and data on its prevalence; (d) initiatives to raise public awareness and mobilize action to prevent and address this phenomenon; (e) initiatives to strengthen the capacity of teachers and other professionals working with and for children, to early detect and respond to bullying and cyberbullying; and initiatives designed to inform and assist children in preventing and addressing it themselves. 7. The paper also benefitted from consultations held with experts and with children and was informed by a literature review of studies and reports undertaken by research and academic institutions, human rights mechanisms, the private sector and social media entities on the subject of bullying, including cyberbullying. II. Nature and scope of the problem A. Bullying is a global issue “It ruins your life. Your life is stolen from you. It’s loss of freedom, that’s what bullying is.” 19-year-old boy9 8. The Convention on the Rights of the Child recognizes children’s right to protection from all forms of violence, including physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment, exploitation, including sexual abuse.10 9. When children speak about the violence they face, it is critical to listen and take action to protect their interests and ensure their safety. And it is important to recall that, beyond the impact on child victims, this phenomenon has a high cost for society. 10. Bullying compromises children’s well-being, health, and school performance, and is associated with serious long-term consequences for their lives. Although research and available data show different results from country to country,11 bullying, including cyberbullying, is present and widespread throughout the world, and it is clear that it affects a significant percentage of children as victims, perpetrators or observers.12 11. When bullying is a part of the experience of going to and from school and of the classroom life and climate in which pupils live, and when bullying behaviour continues Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Paraguay, the Philippines, Qatar, the Russian Federation, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain and Sweden. 8 Australia, Belgium, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Republika Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Estonia, Georgia, Ireland, Latvia, Malta, Mauritius, Northern Ireland (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland), Norway, Paraguay and Poland. 9 Submission of the Ombudsman for Children, Norway, “I want to have good dreams”, children’s and young people’s hearing on bullying and offences at school, October 2014 (available in the files of the Secretariat). 10 See, in particular, articles 19, 28.2, 32 to 34, 37 (a) and 39. 11 See http://www.who.int/chp/gshs/en. 12 See Roman, Marcela, and Murillo, F. Javier, “Latin America: school bullying and academic achievement”, CEPAL Review, 104, August 2011. 4 beyond