The key facts

  • Deputy Speaker of the State Duma Maria Voropaeva (LDPR) proposed creating a unified document on bullying prevention in schools
  • According to her, previously introduced liability bills are insufficient without a prevention system
  • The deputy noted the shortage of school psychologists and that bullying is often hidden from adults

Proposal for a Unified Set of Procedures

A unified document is needed to prevent bullying in Russian schools — one that would define procedures for preventing and identifying such cases and distribute responsibilities among government agencies. Maria Voropaeva, Deputy Speaker of the State Duma (LDPR), stated this in an interview with TASS, as reported by Gazeta.Ru. «It should be created so that everyone in their own area understands how to respond and what to do to prevent this phenomenon,» the deputy said.

Why Fines Are Not Enough

Voropaeva recalled that bills on liability for bullying have already been introduced in the State Duma, but in her view, fines alone are not enough: a bullying prevention system must be built in parallel. To achieve this, according to the parliamentarian, the actions of various agencies need to be coordinated, and the powers of those who will identify cases of bullying, gather evidence, and draw up administrative offense protocols must be defined.

The Problem of Hidden Bullying and the Shortage of Psychologists

The deputy noted that bullying often takes place out of sight of teachers and parents, and children frequently conceal what has happened. Moreover, schools lack psychologists: according to her, they cannot even keep up with responding to incidents that have already occurred, let alone preventing them. Earlier, as the outlet notes, the expert already explained why teenagers take part in bullying. Voropaeva's proposal remains a statement about the need for such a document: the publication does not report on any specific bill or timeline for its preparation.