Some data about Romania
Podar Adrian,
teacher
“Mihai Eminescu” National
College,
Oradea, Bihor
County, Romania
Cyberbullying, work in
progress!!... Yes! According to statistics, it is a reality in the process of
constant change and a phenomenon that is constantly amplifying. Here's some
information about the situation in the United States[1].
It
is noted that the phenomenon of cyberbullying has doubled over a period of 9
years. The average for 2007-2016 is 27.9%. Statistical data was collected by
the Center for Cyberbullying Research among high school and high school
students on a representative sample. Of the respondents, only 16% agreed that they would behave violently on the
internet, with behaviors that could fit into the definition of cyberbullying.
It must be: intentionally, repeatedly, targeting the injuries of the other, and
occurring through electronic devices[2]. Cyberbullying is related to low
self-esteem, suicidal intentions, anger, frustration and a variety of other
emotional or psychological problems, we discover from the same sources.
Globally, cyberbullying is more
nuanced. A study conducted between 2011 and 2018 shows that there are two poles
of this reality: India - reporting 37% and Russia - 1%. From this study, we
find that in Romania - data are only for 2018 - parents reported cyberbullying
in 11%, which is below the global average, but above Hungary, for example, with
a 10 % and below Italy or Poland by 12%.
According to the studies,
cyberbullying has always doubled between the periods of time spent studying it:
2002-2007 and 2007-2018. What is worrying, according to statistics, is that
little has been done to diminish the phenomenon. Moreover, the manners in which
the phenomenon manifested have diversified. The latest situation is identity
theft, as is the case of Facebook, which is trying to stop this phenomenon by
different platforms. One of these is presented to us as proposed in Italy[3].
The platform is called Fermiamo il bullismo and was developed in collaboration
with the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. The platform contains
downloadable pdfs and indications for those who are victims of violence, for
parents and teachers who are bullied, but also for parents and teachers accused
of harassment.
Continuous amplification of the phenomenon of cyberbullying.
Years 2004-2018.
Cyberbullying undermines the full
realization of the UN's Sustainable Development Objective 4 - we read on the
UNESCO website - on the quality of education. Traditional and online aggression
are closely linked, both forbidding equal access to education and acting
against safety, non-violent and inclusive learning environments for all
children and adolescents.
The need to involve the national education
sector is clear. Evidence from a study shows that 62% of the digital users
interviewed did not know or were unsure of how much they could find help when
they were assaulted by electronic devices. Based on the evidence available,
participants gathered in London to develop the new campaign to combat
cyberbullying agreed that the focus should be on children and young people.
However, there is also a major opportunity to increase the commitment and
support of adults, including parents, teachers, school administrators, youth
leaders, coaches, health professionals and others.
The call to a global campaign to
tackle this issue was first announced in the International Symposium School
Violence and Harassment. It was co-organized by UNESCO and the Institute for
the Prevention of School Violence at Ewha Womens University in Seoul in January
2017, where the UNESCO Report on the Global Situation of School Violence and
Harassment was published. The Cyberbullying Global Campaign, supported by No
Bully, wishes to engage in creative collaborations, decentralized actions, and
provide adaptable messages and materials, as well as provide clear guidance to
help change transformation. The participants who participated in the London
meeting came from around the world and included social representatives and
other industry representatives, researchers, civil society partners, young people,
representatives of the Ministry of Education and UNESCO. This initiative could
be closely linked to the UNESCO program on combating school violence and
harassment as part of efforts to protect the health and well-being of young
people against online aggression. The campaign is under development.
Romania's policy to manage
cyberbullying or aggression in the virtual environment is uncertain. The site
politiaromană.ro[4] talks about this and makes recommendations[5]. The reality
is, as we find out in the press, a sad one. Romania has gradually become the
country with the most frequent acts of aggression in the virtual
environment[6]. The survey dates back to 2011. The helpline sigur.info reported
218 cyberbullying acts, out of a total of 650; exactly one-third. We are in
2017 – said the IlikeIT show presenter back then – at school, we would rather
sing and draw instead of learning the right behavior in front of the TV or
computer[7]. Cyberbullying is a major problem favored by a weak legislative
framework, comments Iulia-Laura Dobre, Elena Enăchescu[8]. There is no
cyberbullying legislation in Romania, but in the New Penal Code, from February
1, 2014, harassment has a wider meaning (unlike the old code, which mentioned
only sexual harassment), cyberbullying as harassment and punishment as such.
The Law on Harassment is part of Chapter VI ("Offenses against Freedom of
Persons") of the New Penal Code.
Percentages of cyberbullying in Romania.
According to statistics, by
gender, the victims of cyberbullying are 16.60% boys and 25.10% girls. 70% of
children and young people were at one time or another of their lives victims of
aggression in the virtual context. 37% experienced it very often, 20% - daily.
The phenomenon occurred either on the computer or on the mobile phone.
Society, microclimate - family - and
macro-climate - as a whole - adapt to the digital world by promoting
face-to-face communication. Parents are helpful when encouraging children to
give up digital devices in social situations and interact with their peers
through play[9]. To increase trust in the educational institution, students
should be perceived as educational partners[10].
Violence in the virtual
environment can be prevented and diminished by democratizing education. This
happens through parents' participation in school life[11]. School is invited to
open up to the community and its needs by increasing its visibility and
transparency of pedagogical processes for its beneficiaries. We therefore
propose an extension of school-family collaboration, since cyberbullying is a
reflection of the aggressive way of networking in society[12].
At an international level, UNESCO has taken
several steps[13]. Implementation of international policies at local level can
lead to training for both teachers and students. As a school, how do we admire
this phenomenon? We consider it appropriate to develop, for example, an
optional integrated school subject, covering relevant topics in this field.
Instead of a conclusion, we
intend to promote two ideas[14]. The first is an educational project titled
"BLOCKaggression!". It ran from the 9 October to the 9 December 2018
and was addressed to primary, lower and upper secondary school teachers. In
order to reduce and combat the phenomenon of cyberbullying, the Net Hour team
provides teachers with a resource pack containing both a series of videos that
address this topic and plans for 3 lessons that can be implemented in class
with students. The campaign ended in December 9, 2018, and teachers were
invited to follow the procedure outlined in the initiative's guidelines to
receive certificates in an exclusively electronic format attesting their
involvement. More information about the initiative can be found at
www.oradenet.ro/block-agresivitatii, and the registration of volunteers is
available at www.oradenet.ro/fii-voluntar.
The second proposal is the
#NoHateredOntheNet, launched by the same the Net Hour. This is an extension
that can be installed in Chrome on any computer. Once downloaded, it installs
easily with the role of detecting aggressive or injurious words on any website
accessed with the Google Chrome web browser, including social networking chats,
and overwriting negative words with educational, respect and tolerance.
An important feature of the
#NoHateredOntheNet is that when children encounter overwritten words or
phrases, they will be redirected to the oradenet.ro website where, on a page
dedicated to combating cyberbullying, they will find important information
about the way they can react and combat the harmful effects of this phenomenon.
These include: caution about providing pictures and personal data; avoiding
replies to aggressors, which will be perceived as an encouragement to continue
bullying; the announcement of parents or teachers, if aggression occurs in
school.
Bibliography
Online sources
https://www.comparitech.com/internet-providers/cyberbullying-statistics
http://conta.ase.ro/Media/Default/Page/7%20Dobre.pdf
https://cyberbullying.org/summary-of-our-cyberbullying-research
http://www.laparoladigitale.it/2017/08/la-guida-definitiva-al-cyberbullismo
https://www.mamamo.it/educazione-digitale/cyberbullismo/facebook-instagram-bullismo
https://www.mediafax.ro/social/romania-pe-primul-loc-in-europa-la-hartuirea-pe-internet-care-sunt-cele-mai-intalnite-probleme-online-8900633
https://oradenet.salvaticopiii.ro
https://www.politiaromana.ro/ro/stiri-si-media/stiri/nu-ignorati-semnele-cyber-bullying-ului
https://stirileprotv.ro/ilikeit/smart-things/ilikeit-ce-trebuie-c-tim-despre-cyberbullying-fenomenul-care-afecteaza-grav-copiii-c-i-adolescenc-ii.html
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/a_new_global_campaign_to_address_cyberbullying
Other resources
Benga Oana, Băban Adriana, Opre
Adrian, coord.
Strategii
de prevenție a problemelor de comportament, Cluj-Napoca, Editura ASCR, 2015
Blândul
Valentin Cosmin - Psihopedagogia comportamentului deviant, București, Editura
Aramis, 2012
Neamțu
Cristina - Devianța școlară. Ghid de intervenție în cazul problemelor de
comportament ale elevilor, Iași, Polirom, 2003
Whitson
Signe - Fenomenul de bullying: 8 strategii pentru a-i pune capăt, București,
Editura Herald, 2017
[1]
https://cyberbullying.org/summary-of-our-cyberbullying-research. Consultat 31
oct. 2018.
[2] Oana Benga, Adriana Băban,
Adrian Opre, coord., Strategii de
prevenție a problemelor de comportament, Cluj-Napoca, Editura ASCR, 2015,
p. 20.
[3] https://www.mamamo.it/educazione-digitale/cyberbullismo/facebook-instagram-bullismo/.
Consultat 31 oct. 2018.
[4] Romanian Police internet
site.
[5]
https://www.politiaromana.ro/ro/stiri-si-media/stiri/nu-ignorati-semnele-cyber-bullying-ului.
Consultat 31 oct. 2018.
[6] https://www.mediafax.ro/social/romania-pe-primul-loc-in-europa-la-hartuirea-pe-internet-care-sunt-cele-mai-intalnite-probleme-online-8900633.
Consultat 31 oct. 2018.
[7]
https://stirileprotv.ro/ilikeit/smart-things/ilikeit-ce-trebuie-c-tim-despre-cyberbullying-fenomenul-care-afecteaza-grav-copiii-c-i-adolescenc-ii.html.
Consultat 31 oct. 2018.
[8]
http://conta.ase.ro/Media/Default/Page/7%20Dobre.pdf. Consultat 31 oct. 2018.
[9] Signe Whitson, Fenomenul de bullying: 8 strategii pentru
a-i pune capăt, București, Editura Herald, 2017, p. 103.
[10] Valentin Cosmin Blândul, Psihopedagogia comportamentului deviant,
București, Editura Aramis, 2012, p. 232.
[11] Cristina Neamțu, Devianța școlară. Ghid de intervenție în
cazul problemelor de comportament ale elevilor, Iași, Polirom, 2003, p. 81.
[12] Ibidem, p. 240.
[13]http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/a_new_global_campaign_to_address_cyberbullying/.
Consultat 31 oct. 2018.
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