– The late damage does not disappear when the verdict is handed down. We knew we had a huge job ahead of us, says mother Ann Kristin Liland to news. Her son Robert was bullied for several years at Tinntjønn secondary school in Søgne. In 2013, the family won in court. The verdict was that the school had not done enough to stop the bullying. Afterwards, Robert struggled with drugs and back injuries. – He was very retraumatized after the trial. It all came back like a boomerang. Robert himself is left with a feeling that nothing has happened since his own case. Now the numbers also point in the wrong direction. Disappointed Of the bullying cases that were dealt with in spring 2022, 93 per cent of the pupils agreed that the school had not done enough to prevent bullying. This is shown by recent figures from the Education Association. – It is extremely disappointing. I get really sad on behalf of all the children who have to carry the same things I carry, says Robert. Ann Kristin Liland and her son Robert Liland want stronger measures to prevent bullying in schools. Photo: HÅKON ELIASSEN / news Nor is he particularly impressed by the Bullying Act from 2017. – It’s a joke. It has shattered the legal protection of school children across the country. Among other things, the so-called action plans are easy to circumvent and this zero tolerance for bullying is not zero tolerance at all. Robert’s wish is that this must be taken seriously. – I don’t know how many children’s lives must be lost before that time. But it doesn’t look like those at the top want to do anything. Warns of more action The new bullying figures show that 886 cases have been reported to the state administrators in Norway so far this year. This is an increase of 16 percent from the same period last year. Minister of Education, Tonje Brenna (Ap) believes much has improved on the bullying front. Although the figures for the first half of the year point in the wrong direction. – The state administrators have a clearer responsibility for following up the individual bullying case if a complaint is made about the school’s handling. It is clear in the legislation that schools have a duty to take action if they discover that someone is being bullied, says Brenna to news. Minister of Education, Tonje Brenna (Ap) believes that much has been improved on the bullying front Photo: Even B. Johnsen The government has announced several measures to prevent bullying. Including proposals for a new Education Act with adjustments to the regulations against bullying next spring. In addition, the government is working on a notification to the Storting for 5.–10. steps to examine and improve the school environment for students. Want stronger means Ann Kristin and Robert agree that stronger lye is needed to overcome the bullying. – We must recognize that it is as dangerous and harmful as all other violence and put a section on bullying in the penal code, says Ann Kristin. – Don’t leave things untested. What they have tried so far has not worked, says Robert. The Minister of Education does not believe that a bullying clause will solve the problem. – The dilemma here is that it is often children who bully, so the criminal law does not help us. Rather, we must work to ensure that there is a safe and good school environment, says Brenna. As a relative of a child who was bullied at school, it could often feel like a full-time job for mother Ann Kristin. For Robert, it was about surviving from day to day. – You must always be ready to help. She is critical of the fact that there are helplines for most things, but not for bullying. – Both hedgehogs and rabbits have better help than what we had, says Ann Kristin.
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The bullying numbers are going in the wrong direction – Nine out of ten schools fail the students – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
