Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 April 2015
437. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the degree to which his Department monitors the extent of bullying taking place outside work or school and cyberbullying; if any particular issues have arisen which may alert authorities to the existence of particular trends of bullying; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14902/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI share concerns about bullying and its consequences. We know from the Growing Up in Ireland survey that is commissioned by my Department that a total of 40% of nine-year-olds reported being victims of bullying in the past year, and boys and girls experienced similar rates of victimisation. Prevalence rates based on information provided by the child’s mother were substantially lower than rates based on children’s reports, with 23% of the mothers of nine year- olds reporting that their child had been victimised in the previous year. Many mothers were unaware of their children’s experiences of bullying. For the children who did report victimisation in the previous year, only 39% of their mothers appeared to have been aware that their child had been the victim of bullying.
Experiences of victimisation were upsetting to the majority of children. Almost 90% of children reported that the bullying had caused them upset. Girls were more likely than boys to report feeling very upset as a result of the bullying.
Some 13% of children reported having bullied another in the previous year. Similar proportions of boys and girls reported bullying another. Children who had been bullied most commonly engaged in bullying through exclusion, followed by verbal bullying and physical bullying. Boys were more likely to engage in physical and verbal bullying, while girls were more likely to engage in bullying through exclusion. These patterns also clearly reflect what children reported in terms of victimisation.
The Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) Ireland Report 2010 has found that over 24% of 10 to 17 year olds have reported being bullied. These figures will be updated in September when the next HBSC survey, which is conducted every four years, is published.
In seeking to address the problem of bullying we must tackle the underlying and root causes of bullying in a sustained manner, focusing on tackling prejudice, including homophobia, where it exists in our schools and wider society today.
The implementation of the Action Plan on Bullying, which is being led by the Department of Education and Skills, provides the framework for the Government’s absolute commitment to working with a broad base of interests to protect children and ensure a safer childhood.
