Bullying - how to recognize and protect yourself: tips from the police
In modern Ukrainian legislation, “bullying or harassment” is an act (actions or inaction) of participants in the educational process, which consist in psychological, physical, economic, sexual violence, including with the use of electronic communications, committed against a minor or minor and (or) by such a person in relation to other participants in the educational process, as a result of which damage to the mental or physical health of the victim may have been or was caused.
According to Art. 173-4 (Bullying (harassment) of a participant in the educational process) of the Code of Ukraine on administrative offenses, for bullying there is a liability in the form of a fine of 50 to 100 non-taxable minimum incomes of citizens or public works for a period of twenty to forty hours.
If harassment is committed by a group of persons or repeated within a year after the imposition of an administrative penalty, this entails the imposition of a fine of 100 to 200 taxable minimum incomes of citizens or public works for a period of forty to sixty hours.
If bullying is committed by minors or minors between the ages of fourteen and sixteen, this entails the imposition of a fine on the parents or persons who replace them, from 50 to 200 non-taxable minimum incomes of citizens or public works for a period of twenty to sixty.
If the head of the educational institution did not inform the authorized units of the bodies of the National Police of Ukraine about cases of bullying (harassment) of a participant in the educational process, he may be fined from 50 to 100 non-taxable minimum incomes of citizens or assigned correctional work for a period of up to one month with a deduction of up to twenty percent cents of earnings.
Signs of Bullying:
- systematicity (repeatability) of the act;
- presence of parties — abuser (bully), victim (victim of bullying), observers;
- consequences in the form of mental and/or physical harm, humiliation, fear, anxiety, subordination of the victim to the interests of the abuser, and/or causing social isolation of the victim.
Types of bullying:
- physical (pushing, stepping, hitting, fighting, kicking, slapping, inflicting bodily harm);
- psychological (humiliating looks, gestures, offensive body movements, facial expressions, spreading offensive rumors, isolation, ignoring, threats, jokes, manipulation, blackmail);
- economic (theft, damage or destruction of clothing and other personal belongings, extortion of money);
- sexual (humiliating looks, gestures, offensive body movements, nicknames and insults of a sexual nature, filming in changing rooms, spreading offensive rumors, sexual threats, jokes);
- cyberbullying (humiliation using mobile phones, other electronic devices, on the Internet).
What to do if your child is a victim of bullying:
- talk to the child, let her know that you are ready to listen to her and help;
- offer solutions to the situation;
- explain to the child who she can turn to for help in case of bullying (psychologist, teachers, school management, security, police);
- inform the management of the educational institution about the situation and demand its proper settlement.
If it is not possible to solve the situation with bullying at these levels, contact the territorial police units with a statement or call the operational line 102.
National Police of Ukraine
