Of the 157 cases, 98 (62.4%) were in Compulsory Secondary Education, the usual stage of students between 12 and 18 years of age. Another point highlighted by the Government was 51 cases of cyberbullying on the Internet and social networks.

Most cases of harassment involve verbal attacks (82.1%) and more than half (54.7%) have caused social exclusion or marginalization. Threat, blackmail and intimidation are present in one out of three cases (35.6%).

In the course of 2021-2022, the Educational Inspectorate analyzed 1,098 cases in the CAPV, of which 157 were considered bullying (14.2%). The cases studied are every year more, 966 cases studied in the previous course, and that is because the educational community and society in general are more sensitized to the issue and alarm is given “with the least doubt”, according to the government. That is, the administration says that bullying is detected more than cases.

Minority and majority

In general, in recent years, more intense work has been done on this issue, not thinking about child issues or wrecks and giving bullying its true dimension. One of the keys to this preventive work is, according to experts, to focus on a group. In fact, the data indicate that among children is a minority the aggressor, most are spectators and witnesses, and that the challenge would be to turn these passive attitude witnesses into active partners of the victim.

The KiVa method places particular emphasis on witnesses: “We discuss with children the different roles in situations of harassment, as viewers and witnesses who are not direct aggressors also have a role; for example, those who laugh in their environment reinforce the aggressor, the message they convey is that the situation is entertaining and fun. We want to make them see that in this process each one plays a role, a task, and that it is everyone’s responsibility and responsibility for what is happening; they understand that they can play another role, a role that does not obey the pressure of the group and that can end harassment”.

Healthy relationships

And to avoid harassment, the best prevention is to nurture healthy relationships. For example, Oiartzun’s ikastola features the Haziak project for managing one’s own feelings, balanced and unbalanced relationships and substantially healthy relationships. The Government launched the Bizikasi initiative five years ago with a curriculum for positive coexistence. From 3rd grade to 4th grade, they have material to empower students and work on the importance of living together according to their degree of maturity.

Another objective of Bizikasi is to provide education, guidance and tools on the subject to teachers, schools and educational communities.