While serious bullying continues, about 30% of junior high school and high school students think that if they talk about bullying, they will "carefully stop the other person", but "after consulting". According to a questionnaire survey by an NPO, more than 60% of the respondents said they were worried.

The survey was conducted by the NPO "Protect Children", which works to resolve bullying, through the Board of Education and schools from January to February, and valid responses were received from 26,652 elementary and junior high school students and high school students nationwide. I got it.



Of these, when asked about their thoughts on consulting bullying with multiple answers, 46% of elementary school students answered, "I think they will pay attention to the other person and stop bullying." , 33% of junior high school students and 30% of high school students.



On the other hand, 43% of elementary school students said that they were worried after consulting, but 60% of junior high school students and 65% of high school students.



In the free description, there were many voices such as "I'm worried if it will really be solved" and "I think that if it is known that I consulted, I will be resented".



In addition, only 58% of the students answered that there was a place where they could talk about problems such as bullying, and the percentage who said that they did not have a consultation or did not know was * 40%.

Shiho Morita, the representative of "Protect Children," said, "I think the reason why children feel" difficult to consult "or" worried after consultation "is because they have very little trust in adults. Instead of simply increasing the number of contact points, it is very important to send a message that gives a sense of security that "it is okay to consult here" on a daily basis. "



She added that she said, "Some children can't speak up easily, so it's important for parents, school teachers, and other adults around you to be aware of the changes." rice field.

High school student who was bullied "I'm afraid of retaliation"

A high school student who was afraid of retaliation and couldn't consult immediately after being bullied responded to the interview.



Since September of last year, boys in the second year of high school in the Chugoku region have been bullied by several classmates saying, "I'm dead" or "I want to hit."



At one point, it was said that food did not pass through the throat and even thought "I want to die".



Regarding the situation at that time, the student said, "When I went to school, I was told something I didn't like every day and I wanted to escape from the place. I thought that my feelings would overflow and I would die." I look back.



However, for nearly a month, I couldn't confide my worries to my parents and friends.



I was afraid that the bullying would get worse and retaliate without being able to solve it well even if I consulted.



I also didn't want to make my favorite family and friends sad.



The students said, "Because people around me pretended not to see me, everyone felt that they were on the side of the bully. If you consult, the perpetrator will come out strongly against you. I was afraid that bullying would escalate, "he said.



After that, when I took the courage to consult with people around me, such as my parents, that I couldn't stand it any longer, I found out that I was able to reach the representative of "Protect Children" who conducted the questionnaire survey this time, and obtained cooperation.



Representative Morita advises parents of students to keep a record of the damage caused by bullying, and alerts all students to the school by giving specific examples of bullying to protect the victims. It means that he requested that the measures be taken.



It means that we are currently in discussions with the school for a solution.



The students said, "In my experience, there were few people who actually helped me even if I consulted. Even if I feel scared, I have the courage to speak up, and by consulting with as many people as possible, it helps me first. I thought it was important to find someone who could feel at ease. "

Active teacher "Difficult to deal with busy business bullying"

Some teachers say that it is becoming more difficult to deal with bullying due to busy work at school.



Teachers in charge of student guidance at public junior high schools in the Kanto region have taken the lead in dealing with bullying at multiple schools where they have worked.



While he has helped solve many cases, he confesses that it is becoming more difficult to deal with the situation at school alone because the work of teachers is increasing and he is getting busy year by year.



The teacher said, "The current situation is that it is difficult to take time to look at the students as the required roles increase, and I feel that it is quite a burden to deal with bullying at school alone. If the number of jobs continues to increase, bullying will continue. Not only can we not find it, but even if a big problem occurs, we may not be able to deal with it. "



Furthermore, it is said that the lack of know-how and experience in dealing with bullying is a major problem for some teachers.



This is because there are many cases where it is difficult to deal with the facts, such as the fact that the students disagree with each other and it takes time to confirm the facts.



The teacher said, "If you make a slight mistake in how to speak to your child or contact your parents, you may not be able to communicate well and you may get confused, so it is difficult to get an inexperienced teacher to handle it. I feel. Moreover, as the methods of dealing with bullying have changed significantly in the last few years, the guidance of veteran teachers is not always in tune with the times. "



On top of that, "We have to seriously think about how to make it easier for children to talk in order to create an environment where children can trust and consult with adults. The problem of bullying can be dealt with at school. I think it's the best, but if things go wrong, I would be grateful if there was a person who would be close to the child and help both the school and the parents in a neutral manner. "

The contact point for consultation 24 hours a day

The NPO "Protect Children" accepts consultations 24 hours a day, every day.



Please refer to the "Protect Children" homepage for consultation services such as telephone.