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On 6 November, the world marked the International Day against Violence and Bullying at School, including Cyberbullying. This day is celebrated on the first Thursday of November every year.
UNESCO Member States declared the first Thursday of November as the International Day against Violence and Bullying at School, Including Cyberbullying, recognizing that school-related violence in all its forms is an infringement of children’s and adolescents’ rights to education and their health and well-being.
“Screen smart: Learning to be safe in the digital era.”
Every month, 1 in 3 learners experiences bullying and at least 1 in 10 faces cyberbullying. Children who are bullied are twice as likely to feel lonely or have trouble sleeping. Some even have thoughts of suicide.
Online abuse creates a 24/7 loop of fear that follows learners from screens into classrooms. The risks are even greater for some learners: 58 % of girls and young women have faced online harassment, about 50 % more likely to be cyberbullied than their peers.
credits: European Commission
Across Europe, more than 20% of 15-year-old students reported being frequently bullied, affecting students and schools irrespective of their socio-economic profile.
A joint effort is crucial when it comes to addressing violence at school emphasising prevention, support, and community. Building educators’ capacity to prevent it, and implementing a whole-school approach are essential.
Bullying in schools has negative impacts on the wellbeing and mental health of learners, their school’s climate and their educational outcomes. It increases the risk of early school drop-out, with long lasting effects on the quality of life.
Online violence is not just a digital safety issue, it strikes at the very heart of education, undermining learners' health, well-being and participation, threatening their future and that of societies.
credits : UNESCO
Education must be our frontline defence. UNESCO works with governments, schools and teachers to foster safe learning environments free from violence, train educators to recognize and respond to online violence, and strengthen policies so that learning spaces — physical and digital — are safe and healthy for all.
credits . UNESCO IITE
Yet according to 2024 Global Education Monitoring Youth Report, only 16% of countries have adopted legislation to prevent cyberbullying through education.
credits: UNESCO
https://www.unesco.org/
Education
On this International Day against violence and bullying at school, including cyberbullying, the schools are encouraged to conduct activities to enhance awareness on prevention of violence and bullying in Schools, and work together to make our schools and educational institutions more safe and vibrant for all learners.
- Here are five ways we teach the young child the power of inclusivity.
Explain to your young learner what bullying is. Use actual examples from their life. Point out when people say and do things that are mean, and give them practical examples of what they can do to stand up for their peers who are left out or bullied.
Everyone has feelings and needs, just like you. Colour blindness has never solved discrimination. Acknowledge the differences of appearance, nationality and skin colour that your child notices in others. And at the same time talk to them about our shared humanity and that everyone wants to be loved and happy, just like them.
Encourage collaborative learning. As young children develop a sense of agency, they discover that they have the power to invite others into their circle and experience the joy of collaboration. Inclusivity requires an opening of the heart and an act of generosity but the returns are enormous: an exchange of ideas, fresh perspectives and shared energy as young children work together to find a creative solution for a problem or project. Collaborative learning – when facilitated skillfully – enhances academic progress. Inclusivity helps the young child to develop flexibility and openness to new experiences and this in turn promotes their creativity.
You Can’t Say You Can’t Play
Vivian Gussin Paley
Teach “you can’t say you can’t play” One of the most heart-felt descriptions of the young child’s journey into a shared world is found in
Vivien Paley’s award-winning monograph
You Can’t Say You Can’t Play.
Published in 1993,
the book is a reflection upon the forces of social inclusion and exclusion that operate throughout
preschool and in the early years of
primary education. It was in an attempt to create a classroom grounded in inclusivity that
Vivian Paley introduced her
kindergarteners to a new rule:
“You can’t say you can’t play.” Hers was a bold attempt to foster a habit of inclusivity in her young students.
Kindness is even more important online. The Internet is another shared world, infinitely vaster than the classroom, and it exposes the young child to people and diversity that they would never encounter IRL. Of everything we teach young children, kindness and inclusivity have the greatest potential to head off the growth of online bullying and hate in the tween and teen years.
"Education is a frontline defense – safe classrooms must extend to safe screens. And learning to be safe online or ‘screen smart’ is essential to safeguarding the quality education children and young people deserve."
Our role into our school curricula since the first lessons including media is to teach curricula but at the same time teach students always to be safe at school life and to be smart on screen.
Resources: Young teachers :
European Education Area : Preventing and addressing bullying in schools
https://education.ec.europa.eu/education-levels/school-education/preventing-and-addressing-bullying-in-schools
We have in our hands an entire 'wired' generation. Children and young people who are all day connected on their cellphones and tablets. At school, at home, in a bus or just walking, even between friends or just strangers.
"You Can’t Say You Can’t Play !"
Vivian Gussy Paley
G-Souto
08.11.2025
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Sources : UNESCO / European Commission - European Education Area
