More than half of the children surveyed say they are, or have been, victims of bullying. This ranged from a few times a month to several times a week. In more than one in ten cases, it happens or happened every day.

Fourteen percent are still being bullied, usually at school. Most children say that their teacher does not notice it.

In most cases, adults know that bullied children are being bullied, and in two-thirds of cases, other children know about it too. One in four bullied children does not know whether other children are aware of it.

Just under half of the children who are still being bullied talk about it with adults, one-third talk about it with both children and adults, and a small number talk only with other children.

One in five children does not talk to anyone about it. They think it will not help or are afraid that it will make things worse. A quarter (especially boys) hope that it will go away on its own, while others are ashamed of it.

When asked whether talking helps, a large majority say ‘a little’ or ‘yes’.

Lesson on stopping bullying

According to bullying expert Tessa Kaufman from the University of Groningen, children who bully know exactly how to go about it. They do it when the teacher is not looking, in places where the teacher is not present, or online.

Bullying takes the form of name-calling, exclusion, taking away belongings, or kicking and hitting. More and more children are also being bullied online, via social media or WhatsApp.

Eight in ten children want more lessons to be taught about stopping bullying. More than half say they need help to stop bullying behavior. Most children think that talking about it and helping children who are being bullied are the best solutions to bullying behavior.

Tessa Kaufman: “Fortunately, we are seeing that more and more is being done to combat it. Effective anti-bullying programs, such as KiVa, PRIMA and Taakspel, can already help a great deal. But that does not mean we should be satisfied with that: bullying must stop for everyone.”

On Monday, September 21, Bullying Awareness Week 2020 begins. This year’s theme is Taking Action Together.

Child Helpline

Children who are being bullied, or whose classmates are being bullied, can always call the Child Helpline. They can be reached at 0800-0432 or via kindertelefoon.nl.

On Sunday evening, September 20, there was a special extended broadcast of Jeugdjournaal about bullying.