Shanghai revises school bullying handbook with further proactive measures
The guidebook for school-wide anti-bullying has been revised with a clear definition of bullying and specific measures for precaution and prevention, the local procuratorate announced on Wednesday.
It was published in 2019 as the first of its kind in China. The amendment was started based on the Law of Protection of Minors, which was put into effect in 2021.
"The book was necessary because only 67 characters were about school bullying in the new law and many were difficult to understand," Dr. Tian Xiangxia, writer of the book and a research assistant of the Juvenile Delinquency Research Center of East China University of Political Science and Law.
Different judges are likely to have various interpretations of the abstract contents, added Gu Xuelei, head of the juvenile and family division of Changning District's procuratorate.
The 46-page book has a clear definition to differentiate teasing from school bullying. The relationship between the two parties, subjectivity, behavior and result should be considered.
"Opinions on definition are sharply divided between teachers and parents, and it will cause conflicts," said Han Jing, an official from Xinyuan School, a behavior correctional school for problematic children.
Meanwhile, the book also focuses on the bystanders of school bullying as a precaution.
"They may be a victim or bully in the future after witnessing such a negative situation," Gu said. "Some may feel hopeless and develop psychological problems. Those who help the victims may feel nervous about being retaliated against. Some students may also think bullying is interesting. So we have to intervene."
Furthermore, the book mentions that different punishments and corrections should be implemented according to the severity of the bullying.
Changning's procuratorate said that teachers from the special training schools like Xinyuan will be invited to normal schools to rectify consistently negative behavior and values. Personalized plans will be carried out for different students.
"We used to transfer problematic students to special training schools, but it may be an overreaction for less severe cases. Now their educational environment won't change, which seems more moderate," Han said.
A report released by UNESCO covering investigations in 144 countries showed that one of every three students in the world has suffered school bullying, Tian mentioned.
But the number of school bullying cases is not that high in Shanghai. It accounts for less than 1 percent of national cases in China, Gu Chengcong, official of the city's procuratorate, said.
"Bullying is common during puberty because adolescent kids are learning boundaries," she said. "School bullying won't disappear, but the cooperation of schools, families and authorities can reduce the severity to a minimum."
"We won't abandon any students," Changning's Gu said.
