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On Friday, May 2nd, International Day Against School Bullying is celebrated, a problem that no longer only confines itself to the classroom walls or the playground, as aggressions have also moved into the digital world, affecting 9.4% of Spanish students, according to data from the ANAR Foundation.
In this context, Educo emphasized that cyberbullying and other forms of digital violence «are a growing phenomenon that affects an alarming number of minors and requires a continuous and coordinated response from all social actors.»
«Although important steps are being taken, such as the Organic Law project for the protection of minors in digital environments, it is essential that efforts to protect children and adolescents on the Internet intensify,» said Educo’s general director, Pilar Orenes.
The organization stresses that addressing cyberbullying «is crucial» for everyone to work together to address both offline and online phenomena.
«There is much talk about the dangers of the Internet, but the seed of how one behaves on social networks is largely sown at home. If your family takes the time to teach you, accompany you, give you clues, you will be better able to deal with those dangers,» Orenes points out.
The NGO insists on the need to educate from a standpoint of good treatment to reduce situations of violence and bullying and promote safe digital spaces where children and adolescents feel respected and cared for their full development and promote coexistence and social cohesion.
Therefore, it argues that good treatment «goes beyond eliminating inappropriate or violent behaviors, it means creating environments of trust with more equal relationships based on respect, empathy, and active listening» in the family, educational centers, leisure or sports entities, and other places where interaction with children and adolescents takes place.
On the family level, it points out that active listening and support in the use of devices are key. «Parents must be informed and aware of the risks their children face in the digital world, in order to offer them the necessary support. An open dialogue about the use of technology is essential to ensure their well-being. But not everything can fall on families; according to the LOPIVI, administrations have the obligation to raise awareness and provide training programs,» Orenes states.
In the school environment, the NGO requests that public administrations provide continuous and appropriate training for teachers in educational centers. This training should include tools to help children and adolescents identify and address the risks that exist in the digital environment.
UNICEF SUPPORTS THE CREATION OF A SAFE AND PROTECTIVE ENVIRONMENT
Unicef Spain reminds that the best prevention of this problem is «the creation of a safe and protective environment where each student feels seen, heard, and protected.»
For this, the organization considers it essential that adults in the educational and family environment can detect and identify situations of violence that, in some cases, «are hidden in the everyday,» so we must be able to «see what is often normalized.»
Unicef Spain offers families, teachers, and professionals a free workshop, conducted in collaboration with Mundo Psicólogos, to learn how to identify, prevent, and act against bullying in childhood and adolescence.
The NGO argues that good treatment is built every day «with clear rules, respect, and participation.» It also emphasizes the importance of listening to children and adolescents because «they know their reality better than anyone, and their voice is not only a right but also a tool for change.»
TIPS TO PROMOTE CHILDREN’S WELL-BEING
To promote children’s well-being, Delia García, psychologist at Sanitas’ Blua, recommends that families, in case of any signs of discomfort, talk to them and the school «to stop the situation in time and prevent it from leading to greater physical and mental problems.»
At home, the psychologist advises creating a safe space for the child with an open dialogue in which they can open up and be themselves without feeling judged: «Children must feel listened to and, above all, supported by their parents, who are their main pillar.»
She also asks parents to maintain constant contact with the school to know what kind of programs or activities are implemented in the school environment, as «being aware of what children do in school and discussing it with their respective teachers can help prevent bullying cases.»
Another tip from the expert is to engage in sports so that children who are experiencing this issue «can channel their emotions and concerns»; or establish a routine to create healthy habits. «Having defined schedules for eating, sleeping, studying, and doing sports, promotes organization and contributes to physical and mental well-being,» she points out.
Seeking professional support, if necessary, to emotionally support the child, «can make a significant difference in their life as it helps them learn to deal with their feelings and face situations from an early age.»
TIPS TO PREVENT SCHOOL BULLYING
On the occasion of the Day against school bullying, the director of the CEU Schools Area, Raül Adames, highlights a series of specific proposals to help minors in an environment of respect and coexistence.
Therefore, he encourages families to help their child get to know themselves. «You cannot love what you do not know; the first step of love is knowledge; to the extent that I get to know myself, I can value myself and trust myself. We learn, develop, and mature as people through our relationships with others. That is why it is important to live and spend time together parents and children in the home, the first school of life,» he points out.
He also advocates for showing them their strengths, as «learning to trust oneself requires knowing one’s strengths and directing them towards the pursuit of good, not for self-indulgence but to offer it to the world.» «Only by putting our talents at the service of others can we make a better, more humane, more harmonious, fuller world,» he notes.
The director of the CEU Schools Area argues that learning to trust oneself «also requires knowing one’s weaknesses, not to live in a desperate frustration but to stimulate our coping ability and grow in strength and patience.»
«People are responsible for discovering our identity; we are beings in growth. This entails effort and demand to develop our strengths and overcome our weaknesses, and thus shape our identity as children, friends, colleagues, citizens of the world. For this, it is necessary to be responsible for our tasks and relationships,» he adds.