Theory and practice of intellectual property
№ 4 / 2021
ISSN (Print) 2308-0361
ISSN (Online) 2519-2744
PDF (Ukrainian)DOI: https://doi.org/10.33731/42021.243184
Published 2021-10-25
Legal regulation of bullying in the national legislation
Oleksandra Paduchak
Ukraine
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2019-5485
Abstract
The aim of the article is to analyse the new provisions of the legal acts of Ukraine in the sphere of prevention and counteraction to bullying. The term “bullying” has recently appeared in Ukrainian legislation from January 19, 2019. The Anti-bullying Law amended the Law on Education and the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses. This Law for the first time introduced the concept of bullying of a participant in the educational process into the Ukrainian legal field, defined its typical features, forms, introduced administrative liability for bullying. Currently, the existing norms provide only for bullying of participants in the educational process, among the participants of which must be a child. A mechanism for responding to cases of bullying provides only in educational institutions (except those that provide adult education). Conflicts that arise between participants from different educational institutions can’t be classified as bullying. It should be noted that today the law does not cover cases of bullying by participants in the health and educational process in children’s health and recreation facilities, as well as bullying of participants in the training process in institutions of physical culture and sports.
There is an administrative liability for bullying in Ukraine. Children are prosecuted for bullying from the age of 16. If the bully is not 16 years old, the parents are responsible for it. Heads of educational institutions are also prosecuted if they do not report about bullying to the police. The statistics of bullying cases considered by courts in 2019 (248), in 2020 (265) show the implementation of anti-bullying legislation. Of course, these statistics are not indicative of the real scale of bullying. We can say that it still remains in a latent (hidden) state. A UNICEF survey in Ukraine (2017) found that 67% of Ukrainian children aged 11-17 have seen bullying in the last three months, 24% of children have been bullied and 48% have not told anyone. Nevertheless, the law is in action, it is new, and it takes time to implement it. Responsibility is a recognition at the state level that bullying is violence, it is not the norm, it must be understood by all participants in the educational process.
Bullying is the basis for civil liability. Bullying is an act of wrongful harm involving children. The court’s decision that establish the fact of bullying in accordance with the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses is evidence in a civil case of compensation for moral and material damage.
Bullying is the basis for disciplinary action against teachers. Because bullying is an immoral act for which the teacher can be fired.
The author has analysed a significant number of court decisions that deal with bullying issues. On the basis of the study, the problematic aspects of legal regulation of bullying were identified and proposals were formulated to amend the current legislation.
Keywords: bullying, signs of bullying, forms of bullying, participants of bullying, children, violence in an educational institution, bullying of a participant in the educational process, anti-bullying legislation, judicial practice, liability for bullying, bullying prevention
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