Proposed Guidelines of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) to all schools and educational institutions for the prevention of bullying and cyber bullying

Posted On - 31 December, 2023 • By - King Stubb & Kasiva

NCPCR has been working to ensure the safety of children both in physical and digital environments and has released a draft guideline on bullying and cyber bullying in schools. The draft is open for suggestions and comments from the public. These guidelines aim to enable the schools to prevent, prohibit and address incidents of bullying that occur within their premises or online spaces frequented by children. In the interest of the children teachers/school’s management and authorities are suggested the following, for the prevention of cyber bullying:

  1. Schools must ensure that their staff is digitally literate, as it helps the teachers to teach students about digital etiquette.
  2. Raise awareness about online risks and dangers, the psychological and legal consequences of bullying online
  3. Conducting training and awareness programs for students and teachers about gender sensitization, threats on digital media and encouraging reporting of inappropriate online interactions.
  4. Respect the privacy of children.
  5. Establishing internet safety protocols with educational institutions.
  6. Initiate online surveys that allow children to speak about offences anonymously.
  7. Invest in strong network security systems and set up automatic antivirus software and operating systems.