The Ministry of Education has updated the procedure for responding to bullying incidents
The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine has approved an updated procedure for responding to cases of bullying and applying corrective measures, bringing them into line with the Law “On the Protection of Children.”
Instead of two separate mechanisms, educational institutions are establishing a single commission to review all cases of violence, abuse, and bullying. A clear list of signs of violence (economic pressure, psychological abuse, sexual harassment, and physical acts) has been established, along with strict deadlines: the head of the institution must review a complaint within 24 hours, and if signs of violence are present, they must notify the police and child welfare services within three hours.
The ministry emphasized that only a court can establish the fact of bullying, while the commission assesses the circumstances, determines the child’s needs, and organizes support. The updated rules also expand the scope of protected individuals, introduce mandatory monitoring of decisions, and require every educational institution to establish its own violence prevention system with various reporting channels. In the near future, the Ministry of Education and Science will provide methodological guidelines for the practical implementation of these changes.
This is stated in a press release from the ministry.
Last year in Ukraine, law enforcement agencies recorded 285 cases of bullying in educational institutions. Throughout the school year, the police filed an average of about 32 administrative reports per month due to incidents of bullying among children.
The number of administrative reports for bullying in schools and universities has increased in Ukraine.
As a reminder, in December 2018, the Verkhovna Rada passed a law providing for penalties for “bullying”—the harassment of children in educational institutions. According to the law, not only those who engage in bullying but also educators who ignore such incidents are held accountable for these offenses.
