Almost a quarter of secondary school students in Drenthe and Groningen do not think school is a safe place. This is evident from research by Trendbureau Drenthe, part of the CMO STAMM knowledge institute.
The researchers asked about 850 young people between the ages of 12 and 18 about their experiences with bullying and discrimination. Almost everyone sees bullying behavior at school, just over half say they see discrimination. “That is worrying,” says researcher Evelien Mulder. One in two young people indicate that they have been bullied in the past three months.
Bullying mainly involves verbal abuse, such as ridiculing or calling someone names. “But physical violence is also quite common. So then you are really talking about fighting,” Mulder explains. Discrimination manifests itself in the form of comments about origin or level of education.
At the same time, there is relatively little talk about such behavior. Young people who are bullied or discriminated against want to solve it themselves. But students who witness such behavior also remain silent. “They then say: ‘I don’t do anything, otherwise I will be bullied myself’. They don’t want a snitch or snitch are mentioned.” Young people do talk about it among themselves with friends or with their parents. “These are people they trust.”
It’s a different story at school, which should provide a safe environment. “You would say that,” Mulder says. “The mentor is often the first point of contact. But if that mentor does not feel familiar enough, there should be another place to report it.”
According to Mulder, the differences between schools are large. “Some schools only have a mentor, while other schools do have a reporting point. At the same time, there are also schools where it is simply not clear.”
That is one of the recommendations that Trendbureau Drenthe makes. “Also give students the opportunity to report anonymously,” says Mulder. “Also make sure there are several places, so not just with the mentor.”
