Safe For Children Society decries bullying, lists remedies to end menace

Safe For Children Society, a non-profit organisation dedicated to the safeguarding and protection of children, has called for concerted efforts among all stakeholders to eradicate the persistent menace of bullying within the school system.

In a statement yesterday by its founder, Taiwo Akinlami, in reaction to the trending video that had elicited widespread outrage involving a female student from Lead British International School, Abuja, who was bullied by a peer, said the incident has shown that many schools have failed to heed the lessons learnt from events leading to Sylvester Oromoni’s heartbreaking death, whose Coroner Inquest into Oromoni’s death was concluded last week.

The body listed the following as a remedy to the menace to break the cycle of unfortunate events and ensure that schools are safe havens for all students:

1. Establish a comprehensive child safeguarding system: Implement a codified child safeguarding and protection system as a policy, complete with detailed processes. Train all stakeholders, including students, until safeguarding and protection are deeply embedded in the school culture.
2. Integrate anti-bullying measures: Anti-bullying policies and their implementation should be central to the child safeguarding and protection system/policy, ensuring these measures are fundamental and effectively executed.
3. Reassess educational curriculum: Modify the curriculum to focus equally on behavioral outcomes and soft skills alongside academic learning outcomes. This shift will foster a more holistic development approach, prioritising behavioral improvement.
4. Foster collaborative partnerships for prevention: Develop robust partnerships between parents and schools to formulate and implement preventative measures against bullying, grounded in strong, shared values.
5. Enforce governmental regulations: The Nigerian Ministry of Education must enforce the implementation of the 2015 Violence Against Children Report’s priority actions, which mandate that child safeguarding and protection policies are prerequisites for all child-focused organizations, including schools.

In conclusion, the group called on the government and school authorities to provide the affected student with the essential psychosocial support needed for recovery from the traumatic experience.

“Looking ahead, our objective must be to prevent similar incidents through systemic change. This involves the rigorous enforcement of existing laws and the introduction of new measures to address any identified gaps. Only through decisive action and committed oversight can we ensure a safer educational environment for all our children.”