Protecting the most vulnerable: China takes further step on bullying

China's Ministry of Education issued a notice on Friday, setting up new requirements for schools in an effort to curb bullying on campuses, which has seen increasing cases in recent years.

They include setting up reporting hotlines, committees to define bullying behaviors, as well as special classes for students and teachers to openly discuss the issue. The notice also called for regular anti-bullying training for parents and staff in educational departments to help them better identify and intervene when bullying happens.

Primary and middle schools across the country are also being asked to set up surveillance cameras in "blind spots" where bullying usually occurs such as hallways, rooftops and storage rooms.

The notice came a day after the Supreme People's Court issued a document that calls for rigorous handling of school bullying. When minors suffer harm due to bullying or similar behaviors, the judicial system needs to comprehensively consider factors such as the severity of the bullying, its duration, and the physical and psychological harm inflicted on the victim, and hold the perpetrator legally responsible for their actions, the document said.

Bullying, especially school bullying, has become a hot topic of discussion on Chinese social media in recent years due to its severity and the sometimes shocking level of profanity. In Hunan Province, a girl in second grade got slapped in the face and her hair pulled by dozens of classmates. In Shanxi Province, a 10-year-old boy was physically and sexually harassed by two of his roommates. In Fujian Province, a middle school student was forced to eat excrement while being recorded. All these cases happened within the past year.

According to data released by the Supreme People's Court, the number of juvenile delinquency cases has generally been on the rise over the past three years. From 2021 to 2023, the court concluded 73,178 juvenile crime cases, sentencing 98,426 juvenile offenders, which accounts for 2 to 2.5 percent of all criminal offenders during the same period.

The document issued by China's highest court shows the country's resolution to crackdown on campus bullying according to experts. It also highlights five legal cases that are supposed to serve as important legal precedents, including a case centered around the right to self-defense by a student called Jiang, whose full name does not appear in the legal document out of identity protection.

Middle school student Jiang experience repeated physical harassment by his classmates, including those named Sun, Chen and Wu in the document. In May 2019, Sun and six other students intimidated Jiang into going to the bathroom. Out of fear, he slipped a pocket knife inside his sleeve. After entering the bathroom, Jiang was surrounded by a total of 15 students and some started physically assaulting him. During the attack, Jiang stabbed and slashed the attackers, resulting in serious wounds and injuries to three.

Following an investigation, a court in Jishou City, Hunan Province, found that the 15 students had bullied Jiang by physically assaulting him. He carried the knife because he had been attacked earlier that day. On July 6, 2020, the Jishou court ruled that Jiang's actions were justified self-defense according to the law, declaring that he should not be held criminally liable for the injuries.

Since the beginning of this year, authorities have launched a series of nationwide campaigns for schools to organize educational activities to enhance students' safety awareness and improve their ability to protect themselves. In April, a joint meeting by several government departments announced that a comprehensive investigation focusing on bullying cases will be conducted in all primary and middle schools.

Addressing campus bullying has become a global issue in recent years. UNESCO estimated in 2017 that bullying in schools occurs worldwide, with approximately 246 million children and adolescents experiencing some form of school bullying each year. One of the key focuses in tackling this issue is to pay attention to the "everyday" bullying incidents and increase their visibility.

In September 2022, a report released by South Korea's Ministry of Education indicated that incidents of school bullying remain prevalent, with around 53,800 students reporting having experienced school violence, the highest number in nine years. Similarly, the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology revealed in its "Survey on Problematic Behavior and School Refusal" that in 2019, the number of recognized bullying incidents nationwide increased by 68,563 compared to the previous year, reaching a total of 612,496 cases.