Empathy courses, confiscation of cell phones in serious cases, and exclusion of students who harass other students on social network are among some of the measures that have been included in the French government’s plan to tackle bullying at school.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has promised a "general mobilisation" and a "relentless fight" against what she described as this "massive phenomenon".
'General mobilisation'
"The mobilisation must be general: everyone has a role to play. With my entire government, we are at your side, and we will wage a relentless fight against harassment", she said, at the press conference to present the plan "against harassment at school and in all areas of a child's life".
"Our plan is 100% prevention, 100% detection, 100% solutions", she added.
Prior to the press conference, the Prime Minister had heard several testimonies from students who had been harassed or involved in anti-harassment associations.
"These are obviously not simple stories to tell. Talking about it is very important, and getting involved for others is also a very good way of rebuilding yourself," Borne said.
Several measures have already been put in place, including the possibility of transferring students suspected of bullying to a different school, and the possibility of sanctioning a bully who is targeting children who attends another school.
Education Minister Gabriel Attal has also announced the introduction of "empathy courses" as part of the school curriculum, "along the lines of those that exist in other countries, notably Denmark", which will be generalized in schools from the start of the 2024 academic year.
Teenager arrested
Meanwhile, the French government last week defended the arrest of a teenage boy in the middle of class over claims of bullying a transgender classmate, a rare move that angered many pupils and parents despite widespread support for a crackdown on harassment.
The 14-year-old boy was put in handcuffs and marched out of his classroom in the Paris suburb of Alfortville Monday.
Government spokesperson Olivier Veran said at the time that the arrest had been made "in compliance" with policies against abusive behaviour and aimed to send "a very strong message" to bullying students.
"This is how we end this plague of harassment, it's also how we are going to protect our children," he said.
The alleged victim, who attends a different school, was targeted with comments such as "We're going to cut your throat" and "I detest your type... go die, go kill yourself".
The controversy came days after it emerged that education officials had sent a threatening letter to the parents of a boy who had complained of being bullied by classmates for months, saying their public statements complaining about the bullying were "unacceptable" and urged them to adopt a "constructive" attitude.
