Know Your Rights: Bullying

Your right to safety and respect

You have the right to feel safe, respected, and protected everywhere you go – at school, online, and in your community. When it comes to bullying, the law and human rights conventions ensure you have the right to:

Protection and Care: Your well-being is protected, and you have the right to survive and develop fully (UNCRC Article 6)
Safety at School: You have the right to expect your school to follow government standards to keep you safe and bully-free (UNCRC Article 3)
Freedom of Thought and Expression: You have the right to say, think, and believe what you like, and to meet and spend time with people (UNCRC Article 13, 15)
Protection from Attack: You have the right to protection from attacks on your honour and reputation – this includes cyberbullying (UNCRC Article 16)
Recovery and Support: If bullying happens, you have the right to support to recover and get back to enjoying your life (UNCRC Article 37)

Bullying is serious: it can be a crime

A crime is a crime whether it happens in the street, at home, in the park, or in school. Many acts described as ‘bullying’ can actually be serious criminal offences. In England and Wales, people can be charged with a crime from the age of 10.

Robbery: If someone uses threats and violence to take your money, that is the serious crime of robbery (Theft Act 1968, Section 8). If found guilty, a person could face prison time
Other Crimes: Depending on the facts, bullying might also be treated as assault, harassment, or theft

Imagine this: If the person being threatened was an elderly person, would your teacher still say, ‘Just ignore them’? Everyone has the right to equal protection under the law.

What schools must do in Wales

The Welsh Government has given a legally binding instruction to all schools on what they must do about bullying, stating: Every learner in every school has the right to learn, free from the fear of bullying, whatever form that bullying may take.

This means your school must:

Have Policies: Have clear policies in place to prevent and deal with bullying immediately
Take Action: Your teachers must take every incident seriously, listen to you, and take action to protect you

If you are bullied, it stops you from enjoying activities you have a right to do. Your teachers have a legal responsibility to protect your rights.