TOGETHER WE STAND AGAINST CYBERBULLYING

      Last September 2013, President Aquino signed into law Republic Act. No. 10627 or the Anti-Bullying act. The law prohibits bullying in any form including cyber bullying. According to the said act, elementary and secondary schools are required to come-up with policies, strategies, and procedures to prevent bullying and remedies when bullying is committed. Schools are required to publish information regarding their respective policies regarding bullying and disseminate the information to the students using websites, signs within school premises, and public forums. It is also mandatory for schools to impose proper sanctions to the bully and prevent further injury to the victim. The government, through the DSWD, will work hand-in-hand in helping the victim and the bully through various rehabilitation programs.

 

      Since the harmful effects of cyber bullying and bullying in general only arrived to the attention of the general public fairly recently there are only a few private organizations and government agencies that are helping to prevent bullying in the country. There are several social media groups and pages like: “Anti-Bullying Philippines” and “The Bully Project” which educates people about the harmful effects of bullying and offers counseling to victims and bullies alike. Cyber bullying most often occurs in school. Schools, especially private ones, are mandated to have prevention and intervention programs that help both the bully and the victim. The Department of Social Welfare and Development along with the Department of Education are the primary government agencies that are responsible in regards to bullying. The Department of Social Welfare and Development offers counseling and rehabilitation programs to students.

 

      In all honesty there are very little programs offered by the government and the private sector in regards to bullying but as cases of bullying continues to increase there would be more policies and organizations to combat all kinds of bullying.