The prevalence of bullying at schools in Jalisco has increased by 37 percent over the past three years, says National Action Party (PAN) federal legislator Lucia Perez Camarena, who this week launched the anti-bullying campaign “No pego, no agredo, sí respeto” (loosely translated as “I don’t hit, I don’t insult, I respect”).
Perez would like to see bullying included as a topic on school curriculums and, in particular, for primary school teachers to talk openly about its nature and consequences during classes.
The initiative includes the elaboration of a guide for schools and parents to follow in cases of bullying.
“It’s very important to formulate protocols so that educational authorities, teachers, parents and students know what steps to take and ensure that everything doesn’t just end with a complaint,” Perez said.
Perez said the age that students first experience bullying is getting lower. A recent DIF study showed that 17 percent of six-year-olds admitted to having suffered physical or verbal aggression at school.
Another study by the National Commission for Human Rights estimated that seven out ten students experience some kind bullying during their school years.
Bullying is generally regarded as repeated aggression directed towards someone. It can be direct, face to face, using physical and/or verbal means, or indirect, as in excluding people, spreading hurtful rumors or attacking someone through the use of cyber technology. Fighting or quarreling between people who are equally powerful should not be considered as bullying.