For the third consecutive year, the Ministry of Education is launching a day of action to combat bullying in schools on 9 November 2017!
What are school bullying and cyberbullying?
Insults, blows, repeated physical and verbal abuse against the same victim... are unfortunately common practices among pupils in schools. This is known as school bullying, which today affects 1 in 10 pupils in France.
Bullying no longer stops at the school gates; it continues outside, on the internet. This is known as cyberbullying. It takes place via smartphones, instant messaging, forums, chats, online games, emails, social networks, etc.
It can take several forms, for example:
- online bullying, insults, mockery or threats
- spreading rumours
- account hacking and digital identity theft
- creating a discussion topic, group or page on a social network against a classmate
- publishing a photograph or video of the victim in a compromising position
- Sexting (a contraction of «sex» and «texting») can be defined as «images produced by young people (aged 17 and under) depicting other young people that could be used in child pornography'.
The consequences are traumatic for the victims.
The importance of the role of witness:
The role of witnesses is at the heart of this year's national campaign. Faced with ongoing violence, victims are afraid to speak out. Witnesses to these situations of harassment therefore play a key role in bringing victims out of isolation and helping them to speak freely.
Bullying is not a game! When you witness bullying, whether at school or online, you need to be able to talk about it!
What to do in the event of harassment?
- Keep evidence (take screenshots with your computer or phone)
- Talk to someone you trust.
- Report online to stop the spread of inappropriate content (social networks offer the option to anonymously report abusive content or users).
- File a complaint if necessary (the new law of 4 August 2014 recognises psychological harassment as a criminal offence, with aggravating circumstances if it occurs via digital tools).
- For assistance, please contact: For bullying at school -> 3020 – For cyberbullying -> Net Ecoute on 3018, or at https://www.netecoute.fr .
Finally, we must continue to raise awareness, as we do every day at e-Enfance, in schools, colleges and sixth form colleges, but also by sharing awareness-raising initiatives as widely as possible.
2017 national awareness clip:
To mark this day, the Ministry of National Education and its partners: YouTube, the YouTube collective Rose Carpet and the e-Enfance Association are unveiling the new awareness-raising advert produced this year with pupils from Bourg-en-Bresse.
Our articles on the subject
No to Bullying Day: schools across France take action
2025 «No to Bullying» Awards Ceremony
Bullying among young people: a scourge that affects all age groups and has consequences for their mental health
The e-Enfance Association / 3018 is organising its first symposium on the mechanisms of bullying among young people.
