Fight against bullying is being stepped up by Spanish police

THE FIGHT against bullying is being stepped up by National Police in schools.
As of this week, officers across the country will be raising awareness of this and other problems during talks aimed at pupils and teachers.
Data compiled by the Central Unit of Citizen Participation, which develops prevention and safety work in schools throughout Spain, shows that a ‘high percentage’ of school children between 11 and 16 years of age has at some point been the victim of bullying, mostly mild or less serious.
It was pointed out that the rise in new technologies and mass access to the Internet has pushed the problem into a digital environment, meaning any situation can be quickly made viral, extending and prolonging the suffering of victims.
Within the framework of the ‘master plan for the co-existence of safety in education centres and their setting’, the police are giving lectures in schools across the country.
The topics being covered are harassment, drug and alcohol consumption, violent gangs, racism, violence against women, discrimination and the risks of new technologies and social media networks.
In the last 12 months, 5,000 such talks have been held, and the National Police want to build on this figure.