Bullying and countering it in the educational space. Sociological analysis

Abstract

The article is devoted to the sociological analysis of the situation with bullying (prevalence, dynamics, connection with socio-demographic indicators) and counteraction to it (formal legal framework and real practices) in the modern educational space of Ukraine. According to 2018, the number of systematic bullers is 12.2%, the number of systematic victims — 15.7%. Thus, in reality, it is not about 67% (two thirds) of children and adolescents, as noted in the justification of many anti-bullying initiatives, but about a much smaller number of people who, however, are systematically bully or bullied by others. The connection between bullying and gender, financial status, health status, emotional state, and the presence of violence from adult family members was analyzed. The legal framework for combating bullying is considered. It is shown that significant obstacles to the implementation of anti-bullying laws are formalism, lack of qualified psychological staff and the practice of concealing the facts of bullying by the management of educational institutions. The article provides a list of real steps to combat bullying, which should lead to positive changes (online training, information campaigns, hotlines, etc.). International data on the evaluation of prevention programs are given. To be more effective, these programs must combine systematic monitoring and targeting of children and adolescents at high risk. Anti-bullying programs should not so much completely eliminate the phenomenon of bullying as bring it out of the norm, which is important on the way to the humanization of education. The necessity of further sociological researches in the field of cyberbullying is substantiated, as well as the necessity of assessing the real position of teachers.