Government creates bullying reporting line

The Government will create an anonymous hotline to report cases and provide support to students who are victims of bullying in public and private schools. Reports can be made via telephone, website and app.

This line of action aims to respond to the high number of unreported cases. The measure is one of the five recommendations for medium- to long-term strategies included in the Working Group to Combat Bullying in Public and Private Schools, with the aim of consolidating a more effective public policy response.

“Bullying and cyberbullying are structural phenomena with severe impacts on the development, mental health and educational trajectory of students. These phenomena not only directly affect the victims, but also compromise the school environment, contributing to increased rates of absenteeism, academic failure and psychological suffering”, reads the statement from the Ministry of Youth and Modernization.

The Ministry states that “combating bullying in schools is ensuring the defense of the rights of children and young people, a collective responsibility, which requires that the whole of society ensures that no student sees their well-being and their academic path compromised by these forms of violence”.