Catalonia launches new anti-bullying programs with protocols, a register, and information

Department of education to increase budget by ten and create position of coexistence coordinator in each school

Education official Núria Mora speaks at an event launching new anti-bullying measures and programs in Catalonia, May 2, 2023
Education official Núria Mora speaks at an event launching new anti-bullying measures and programs in Catalonia, May 2, 2023 / Eli Don
Catalan News

Catalan News | @catalannews | Barcelona

May 2, 2023 08:55 PM

Catalonia's department of education has presented new measures to combat school bullying on Tuesday. 

The new campaign will be implemented next year with the aim of promoting a new perspective on bullying in Catalan schools. 

The resources dedicated to two programs will be multiplied by ten to raise awareness, unify the harassment protocols, and giving training and guidance to 1st-year ESO students. 

In addition, a new position of coexistence coordinator will be created for each school.

The minister for education, Josep Gonzàlez-Cambray, highlighted the importance of a "change of perspective" regarding school bullying in the administration, in educational centers, and among families.

Cambray said that school is "a reflection of society" and lamented that whether we like it or not, "bullying exists." He pointed to the high-profile case of the Sallent twins earlier this year, which saw one child die by suicide, and said that the country must "take advantage of the moment to see what we are doing and study what we can improve." 

The first of the two new programs is part of the Coexistence Project and provides the centers with training, strategies and resources to develop a project based on prevention, detection, and intervention against bullying. 

From next year, a new position of coexistence coordinator will be implemented in all schools. 

The coordinators - who will be teachers from the centers - will receive training and their task will be to coordinate in matters of coexistence, co-education, and the well-being or discomfort of the students. 

Unification of protocols 

The ministry has also announced the unification of harassment protocols, with the aim of simplifying the task of school directors and teachers. 

The education department will bring together the four existing protocols in a single protocol: Harassment and Cyberbullying, Male Violence, Hate and Discrimination, and LGBTQI. 

In this way, whenever it is necessary to activate a protocol, consult the guidelines, or learn about existing resources, schools will have a single common framework that will facilitate and speed up their work.

Finally, the minister also announced the launch of a new student violence register (REVA), a newly created database that will allow authorities to keep a register of violent situations experienced by students. 

Among the main objectives is to facilitate the management of cases, to unify the criteria for action, to speed up the communication circuit between the different agents, and to have a statistical record of all cases of violence in Catalonia.