Psychologist: Schools Must Implement Bullying Reporting System

KBRN, Jakarta: Data on bullying cases in Indonesia shows an increasing trend.

Based on data collected by the Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI) through various reports received, both through social media and the official JPPI website, in 2024, 573 cases of violence were reported in educational environments, including schools, madrasas (Islamic schools), and pesantren (Islamic boarding schools).

This number has experienced a significant spike.

For comparison, 91 cases of violence were reported in 2020. This number increased to 142 cases in 2021, 194 cases in 2022, and 285 cases in 2023.

These figures are feared to indicate an increasing trend in bullying cases from year to year. In addition, the spike in reported cases also shows an increase in public awareness to report cases of violence and bullying.

According to child, adolescent, and family psychologist Sani Budiantini, one effective strategy to address bullying and violence in educational settings is to establish a reporting system for bullying incidents.

She suggests that schools provide complaint boxes where students can report instances of bullying.

"A wise reporting system might be like having an anonymous box, which people can put in there, that they have seen or experienced," said Sani last week, as quoted from rri.co.id.

Furthermore, Sani encouraged teachers to handle the reporting of bullying cases to completion. She highlighted the importance of teachers understanding the victims' perspectives.

"The victim perceives the perpetrator as a frightening figure, while the teacher may not feel the same fear. This disparity in perception can lead to biased decision-making on the part of the teacher, hindering their ability to empathize with the victim. As a result, handling the case may be less serious or incomplete," she said.

Sani also suggested that school administrators do several other things, such as involving students' parents in building a support system for handling bullying, presenting peer mediators who can accompany victims during the recovery process, and tightening supervision in the school environment.

"Supervision can be from CCTV. Maybe there are security guards who patrol or teachers who guard," she said. ***