Unsafe environment

Deputies promise to adopt a law on school persecution. According to statistics, every fifth teenager came across her, and two -thirds of teachers do not know how to recognize bullying

In March, 14-year-old Artem from Kalmykia committed suicide due to persecution. Teenagers beat the boy, urinated him and all this was filmed on the video. According to the mother of one of the students of the school, the next day, Artyom was lowered to the toilet and forced to kiss the shoes of the offenders. The child’s cousin says that he was brought to suicide "humiliation, bullying, beating." A few days later, a teenager, who was called to the Investigative Committee as a witness, did not come for interrogation and also committed suicide.

In August 2024, a 17-year-old sambo player committed suicide in Novosibirsk. Close people believe that the cause is persecution: the girl was called “narrow -eyed” and “black” at the Olympic reserve school. There are a lot of such stories. The problem of bullying was finally noticed by the authorities, and by the end of the year the law on the fight against bullying should appear. True, he was announced back in 2022, but still not accepted. The document promises to determine the very concept of bullying and prescribe measures to prevent it. Schools will have to report on bullets to the police and the minors' commission. The New Gazeta Europe talked with adolescents and schools on how they protect children now and whether new laws will help them.

Bulling - Iceberg peak

Half of students is the result of a whole list of problems, says psychologist Julia (all names in the text are changed for security reasons), which works in one of the Russian gymnasiums. Children may have high aggressiveness, low level of empathy or violation of social skills. Someone does not know how to show leadership qualities, to rebuff and build communication. All this, as well as low or high self -esteem, sometimes leads to negative consequences, explains Julia.

Children can already poison classmates in the third or fourth grades. At the same time, the aggressors themselves often need help, and measures should not be limited to “demonstrative flogging”. In the practice of Julia, there was a student of a younger school with behavioral features, who was offended by normotypical classmates (that is, children whose development complies with generally accepted norms).

“The group simply did not accept it, did not know how to,” the psychologist explains. - He was oppressed, sometimes kicked, things threw him. We talked with mothers. Its ADHD is not treated, they live and adapt with this. But this is a long job, and persecution here and now, what to do? Inclusive education was introduced, and the level of tolerance among children did not increase. Often, children as a red rag, they begin to spread rot for external signs, behavior.

New technologies give rise to new bullying formats. In another case, from the practice of Julia, students created a fake account for their classmate, where on behalf of the girl posted offers about intimate services.

As a result, the creator of the account was found and the page was deleted, and the parents of adolescents involved in the conflict were called to school.

- At the end [the initiator] asked the question: do you regret it? They could attack the girl, it could result in something. The child replied: no. With mom, at teachers. In that class, the group chooses a person, and they begin to spread rot, and the rest are subordinate because they do not want the victim’s place, ”says Julia.

Maxim, the class teacher of the ninth grade, says that persecution in his current private school and the first, budget, are completely different things. Now, at least, does not reach the assault.

- I don’t remember the physical bullying here. And there are many without fathers or mothers, parents drinking. Bulling is flourishing there. Loaded teachers do not see what is happening at changes. There you definitely cannot leave children to solve problems on their own. This is poured into constant injury. This is scary, not everyone will endure such a school of life, ”says Maxim.

Russians recognize the problem

The vast majority of Russians consider school bullying a serious problem, followed by last year’s survey of VTsIOM. Every fourth adult respondent at one time also suffered from bullying. In most cases, the offenders were other children (89%), but sometimes teachers (31%).

84% of respondents are sure that the injury must be suppressed. At the same time, although men came up with bullying more, they often expressed women against interference in the “natural course of things”.

Among adolescents in 2024, every fifth bullying came from a bullet, follows from the study of the Center for the Development of Inclusive Education of RAO. Perhaps, due to the war in Ukraine, the problem is aggravated: there are no statistical data, but new reasons for persecution have exactly appeared. So, in Nevyansk, third-graders beat a normative (a child whose development differs from generally accepted norms) of a classmate whose father fought in Ukraine, calling him a "chmoshnik-lord". In the Rostov region, a child from the Donetsk region defeated his face when he said that the Ukrainian is proud of it.

I am the main one here

In the absence of general rules, teachers act as they themselves consider it right. Sometimes their ways to resolve conflicts seem, to put it mildly, unedagogical.

“When the seven -graders were tidied up, because he is chubby, I conducted conversations,” says Maxim. - Yes, I will say how it is. I gathered those who fucked him up, and said: “Then I will fade at you. You think that someone is stronger is right, and I am the main one here. So live with this. ”

Maxim is the only one among teachers in high school organizes a trip for children, so he believes that he can set conditions for them. If someone behaves aggressively, the teacher refuses to take him with him.

“I immediately declare to my parents: I do trips myself, they don’t pay me for this,” he says. - Why do I need extra problems? And I say to the child: “You do not listen to me, do not respect. Why should I somehow interact with you on weekends? You will not go. "

How in other countries?

It is most effective to deal with bullying through enlightenment and prevention, testifies to world experience . For example, in Finland, since 2009, the KIVA program has been operating (the abbreviation of the expression Kiusaamista Vastaan ​​- against bullying), which is designed for children from 5 to 11 years old.

During the school year, 20 hours were allocated for the prevention of bullying in a compulsory program with examples, role -playing games and group discussions. The task of the lessons is to form their own rules for the prevention of bullying inside the class.

If it comes to persecution in practice, a commission of three teachers is being formed, which considers the case along with the class teacher of the injured student. The commission necessarily communicates separately with the initiators of the persecution and its victims and tries to attract students to solving the consequences - for example, motivates students “with high social status” in the team to support the injured child.

The Positive Action Bulling program developed in the United States (positive action) is focused on the prevention of not only persecutions, but also of any undesirable behavior. It involves short 15-minute lessons two to four times a week before the sixth grade inclusive, at which different topics are discussing with schoolchildren-from the consequences of drug and alcohol to inadmissibility to violence and bullying.

In Russia, there is no unified state program for the prevention of bullying. Charity organizations performed with different initiatives. Thus, the NET and Zhuralik, in 2023, developed their free program, which includes teaching materials for teachers, memos for parents and tips for schools. You can access the materials by registering on a special site.

Schools are trying

Some schools also try to do something with grass: for example, they inform children about a single helpline, show the Soviet film “Scarecrow” or conduct special lessons where they train to realize their emotions. In addition, teachers often conduct psycho-emotional diagnostics and events to rally the team, but all this is not enough.

Another problem is that the role of psychological service in schools is often blurred, and who should solve open conflicts is incomprehensible. Psychologists are often overloaded: Julia has more than 800 children per specialist at the school.

Victoria, whose son is studying in the sixth grade of the State School in the center of Moscow, doubted the competencies and capabilities of school psychologists in a conversation with the New Gazeta. She is not sure that they will help the aggressors understand themselves, and to the victims - to cope with the consequences.

Victoria does not know about cases of physical violence at the Son's School, but children have verbal conflicts. Such incidents are dismantled without the presence of schoolchildren, parents, class teacher, psychologist and administration come to meetings.

- The system is quite understandable, you can complain in anyone in any way. Personally, by phone, through online reception. But about the psychologist it’s not clear to me. Always present and is silent. There are no sessions, ”says Victoria.

What to do to teachers and parents right now

If the student trusted the teacher and said that he is being poisoned, it is important to support the child first of all, Julia says. The victim needs to explain that he is safe, history will not be published without his permission. After that, you need to help the student cope with the consequences.

- We are trying to emphasize the strengths of the child during extracurricular activities, raise self -esteem, help to overcome critical thoughts and give confidence. And after attracting the family and making a round table, ”Julia Algorithm describes.

If the student decides to tell his story publicly, then at first one should stop an open conflict, it is often necessary to attract parents and the school administration. If parents learned the first about the situation, Julia advises contacting the class teacher.

“To bring bullying to the legislative level is, of course, the right direction,” the psychologist believes. - It is necessary to develop a single system of prevention and work with the consequences of bullying. There are no clear instructions yet what to do to the class teacher, psychologist.

Victoria supports the legislative initiative, but is not fully sure that she will help:

- It is good that they see the problem that they introduce additional tools. But I would like more specific explanations how it will work.

Maxim doubts that the laws will protect children. First of all, he believes the class teacher, we need a retraining of a pedagogical department. In his opinion, “the worst of the pedagogical university” often go to the school.

- Accordingly, we get security personnel for the most part. Sometimes they encourage bullying or do not notice it. Plus, normal psychologists rarely go to school outside the Moscow Ring Road, ”he says.

His words are partly confirmed by the study of the Higher School of Economics for 2020–2021. It turned out that 60% of teachers do not see the problems with persecution, as they do not know how to recognize it.