It is my pleasure to be with you at the start of this International Conference on Bullying. I must thank the organisations Families for Life Long Learning and the European Anti-Bullying Network for taking up this important initiative.
The theme for this conference is proof of the urgent need to send a strong message – a message that should be heard by all victims of bullying, a message that should portray our commitment towards securing a real change.
Bullying can never be dismissed as harmless, or as an unavoidable part of childhood and adolescence. As we all know, bullying has the power to disrupt individual lives … to disturb their participation in society, and … to leave deep scars that damage the fabric of our communities.
At the beginning of this conference, I would like to share with you some first-hand experiences. Since coming to the Presidency, I have embarked on a continuous programme of visits to schools in Malta and Gozo, covering private, church, and state sectors respectively.
The aim of my visits is to create a safe and child-friendly space for dialogue. These visits create opportunities where children are able to be frank during their conversations with me.
One very common issue that arises at every meeting, in one way or another is the problem of bullying. Bullying is a predominant concern among our children and young people. Children speak of different forms of bullying, including physical harm, verbal abuse, and forced isolation.
I have noticed, during my visits, that children who attend schools with a functioning anti-bullying policy seem to fare much better.
They feel more able to reach out and speak up about their concerns. They are more resilient … they are more able to understand and access their fundamental rights … they feel encouraged and empowered to act on behalf of their peers who are vulnerable.
Therefore, it is vital that, as educators, as practitioners, as policy makers, and perhaps most importantly as parents or caregivers, we keep engaging in the lives of our children.
We must listen to our children … we must take their concerns seriously … we must be quick to act appropriately and effectively.
It is evident that there is nothing more important than listening to them, and being present during the difficulties they encounter while growing up.
For this reason, we need to do all that we can to empower children alongside their parents and caregivers. We must continue to create respectful spaces that raise awareness about bullying among the public.
We must also acknowledge the crucial role played by the media.
We must accept the shared responsibility to address bullying both in and out of the classroom.
We all have a part to play.
This includes teachers, members of civil society, faith leaders, elected officials, and anyone who is involved in the way our children live their lives. We cannot be satisfied with simply working to change the attitudes of children and young people by introducing policies that target the symptoms but not the cause of troubling behaviours.
A real change is only possible if we approach bullying holistically. This includes looking at our own behaviours as adults. This must include a full and frank assessment of how larger cycles of violence, of hate speech, and of exclusion operate within society.
Bullying must be intersectionally approached.
We must recognise that our conversations about bullying are part of larger discourses that include ethnicity, gender identity and sexual orientation, socio-economic status, faith tradition, and legal status.
Children and young people must feel acknowledged in the fullness of their dignity.
They must feel celebrated in the totality of their identity, and not afraid to be who they are and to speak their truth. When something is wrong, we need to encourage children to confide in us.
We need to secure their trust. We must act with them and for them.
This was the objective behind last year’s first National Conference on Child Wellbeing, facilitated by my Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society. This conference focused on bullying from a child’s perspective.
It is essential that children know they are included, and are able to fully participate in such initiatives. They must feel safe in sharing their experiences, and be nurtured as active contributors in discovering long-term, sustainable solutions.
As adults, some of us remember what it was like to see children being picked on. Through my work with children, I have unfortunately realised that bullying seems to have become a fundamental part of the experience of growing up. Our experience through the National Conference is that children have a fatalistic attitude towards bullying.
Children feel that bullying is something that cannot be changed.
This fatalistic approach is not the case when we talk about gender inequalities between men and women. This is not the case when we talk about the inclusion of minorities in the life of our nations. This is not the case, when we talk about the end of corporal punishment inflicted on children … or an end to the prejudice and discrimination experienced by vulnerable groups.
Therefore we cannot go on turning a blind eye to the problem of bullying, simply because it is so familiar to us and has been for generations. We cannot afford to overlook the deep damage that is done, especially to young people who face daily harassment.
In today’s digitally connected world, bullying often follows children out of the schoolyard. It extends a dangerous reach through their mobile phones and computer screens, with devastating effects. Cyber bullying makes children feel that they have nowhere to escape from the presence of their tormentors.
It is alarming to recognise that in this world of increasing online connection, the tools of new technology are being used in such a cruel way. For this reason, we must complement our anti-bullying strategies with efforts to educate people of all ages about appropriate and respectful uses of online communication.
Our anti-bullying policies must take into account the new reality of social media communication. We must respond fearlessly, and with concrete action to address bullying and hate speech.
The phenomenon of bullying is complex.
It requires a multidimensional approach that addresses those who bully, those who are bullied, and the community in which bullying takes place. Bullying is far more likely to arise when respect, civility, and support are lacking.
Let us therefore continue to emphasize the core values of our societies, values of peace and wellbeing, as we move forward.
In conclusion, I must commend the European Anti-Bullying Network’s initiatives, including the move to establish an annual European Anti-Bullying Day. The European Anti-Bullying Network’s work focuses on highlighting the need for coordinated actions against bullying at an international level, centered on a common European strategy.
This conference offers an ideal space in which this strategy can be explored, among relevant stakeholders from academia, civil society, the general public, and official authorities.
Together we can consider what has been done, and what more must be done, to produce practical responses to the scourge of bullying in the lives of children across Europe and beyond.
Ultimately, no child should feel alone with their experiences. Every child must be affirmed in their fundamental human rights, and secure in the knowledge that they have a voice. Children have the right to turn to the authorities of their countries, and expect their concerns to be taken seriously.
It is only by providing safe and nurturing environments within society that the best interests of every child can be attained.
It is only by prioritising the wellbeing of our children that our efforts to end bullying will produce tangible results, for the benefit of both present and future generations.
Thank you.