Recent acts of violence occurring in Israeli public schools are leaving parents and students with an uncomfortable feeling, that a school is no longer a safe place. A recent study conducted by Oranim College provides data to support their fears.

Whereas many believed the worst of the violence and bullying occurred on the internet, the study shows that this is just not so and the most serious violence occurs on school grounds. Drs. Michal Dolev-Cohen and Noam Lapidot-Lefler shows that among the 465 junior high and high school students questioned, 21.9% admit they have been victims of online bullying at one time or another as compared to 73.5% admitting they were victims of physical violence in school.

“The adolescent social scene today comprises the physical environment as well and one cannot separate the two” the study explains, adding “so we often find physical fights lead to online interaction and vice versa; negative face-to-face encounters may lead to online boycotts, threats, incitement and more.”

The study adds that in 62.2% of cases, the bully’s identity is known to the victim and onlookers. It turns out that when it comes to bullying that takes place in person, the percentage of student bystanders who do not intervene to stop an incident is not less than 90.8% however online, the rate of bystanders on the network is less than 50%.

“We tend to warn children against strangers, adults and children, as well as migrant works and minorities but it turns out the dangers, violence and bullying are in fact persons very close to them”, Dr. Cohen adds. The doctor explains the findings carry significant implications as how to deal with the problem since when dealing with pedophiles, it is clear we cannot educate them. But here we must begin to educate the bullies themselves as well as the bystanders. These are our chevra in the school, not some helpless person facing off against an unknown group.”

When exploring gender differences, males tend to use the internet more than girls. When it comes to physical space, girls tend to go for indirect violence such a [social] boycotts, while boys tend to be more aggressive”. Dolev-Cohen adds “the educational network should invest efforts towards creating a dialogue that will lead to bystanders becoming active to take steps to stop acts of bullying.”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)