Bullying in schools: A plea for measure of human rights

Bullying is the most pervasive form of aggression in schools and as such has attracted much international attention. Although the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program has been shown to be moderately effective in reducing bullying behaviors, several obstacles and challenges have been identified. These include securing the full commitment of all key stakeholders in the school to address the problem of bullying, establishing and sustaining a leadership group to maintain bullying prevention efforts in light of changing priorities and mandates, and attending to the different forms of bullying and underlying motivational bases. A human rights framework, consistent with a peace psychology perspective, targets behaviors, or practices that cause harm (mental distress, maltreatment, and exploitation) in children. Infusing a human rights framework into bullying prevention efforts can remedy much of the commonly encountered practical and theoretical obstacles to the effective implementation of such efforts.