Approximately 21% of students in grades V – XII in educational institutions nationwide are victims of bullying on a weekly basis, and about 40% rarely encounter such situations, according to the study conducted by the Alliance of NGOs active in the field of Social Protection of Children and Families (APSCF) conducted between January and June 2023. Its aim is to bring to the attention of the school community and authorities data on knowledge, attitudes and practices in preventing and combating bullying in the Republic of Moldova, as well as to develop recommendations for authorities.
The study shows that the most prevalent forms of bullying in schools are verbal and relational bullying (54%), surpassing physical bullying (46%). Jokes made to others were the most common, mentioned by 62% of respondents, followed by labelling (60%) and teasing (54%). In addition, 3 out of 100 students reported experiences of cyberbullying at least once a month during the last school year.
“In addition to interventions aimed at target students who need to learn how to discourage verbal bullying behaviour through their own reactions, there is a need to intervene through programmes aimed at teachers. Adults, including parents, need programmes to reduce the actions of classifying children into ‘good students’ and ‘bad students’ and labelling them as bad or naughty,” said Sorina Petrică, a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist from Romania with over 15 years of practice, the expert who developed the study’s recommendations.
Although, according to the study, students, teachers, psychologists, parents and other adults who interact with students are aware of the existence of bullying and cyberbullying and their causes, they have limited knowledge about how to prevent and combat them. According to pupils, the greatest contribution to preventing bullying could be made by parents (21%), followed by teachers (19%) and classmates (17%). This view is also shared by teachers and psychologists, who believe that bullying results from poor parenting (81%).
“Even if a poor family environment is associated with bullying behaviour, the approach based on this view turns the problem into a discipline issue, which often leads to parents being called upon to take action and resort to strategies to punish students. However, the use of punishment can amplify bullying behaviour and transfer this phenomenon to the online environment,” explains Sorina Petrică.
For sustainable results in preventing and combating bullying, the active involvement of several actors is essential. These include parents, who need specialised guidance, teachers, who need to learn appropriate methods to increase students’ awareness and empathy, encouraging them to act as witnesses to stop bullying, and students themselves, who need to understand the importance of their behaviour in perpetuating bullying. The study also recommends increasing the number of psychologists in schools and developing their capacity to identify, assess and intervene appropriately in bullying situations.
“We are pleased to note that 84% of students surveyed said that teachers had addressed the issue of bullying in the past year. This is a sign that we are making progress in the fight against bullying. We are committed to continuing our efforts, with the support of our partners, to develop and implement the necessary programmes to combat bullying,” said Rodica Braguță, head of the legal section at the Ministry of Education and Research (MEC).
The study was developed by Magenta Consulting for APSCF in the framework of the project “Together for Quality Education”, implemented by APSCF from 2021 to 2024, with financial support from Liechtenstein Development Service (LED). In the same project, APSCF provided support to the Ministry of Education and Research for the development and implementation of the Methodology for preventing and combating bullying.