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29 percent of young people agree with the statement “a healthy bundle has never harmed a child.” That was the result of the study commissioned by the Austrian child and youth defense offices. In addition to violence in the family and among peers, the problem of violence and harassment by teachers is also addressed: 35 percent stated that this occurs at least occasionally.
For the study of youth “Right to protection against violence”, the Research Institute on Youth Culture interviewed 1,000 young people from 14 to 18 years selected in a representative way. “In the middle of the field investigation, the blockade hit us,” says institute director Bernhard Heinzlmaier.
It cannot be said exactly how the lockdown worked: “We didn’t even reach those under twelve,” said Upper Austrian youth lawyer Christine Winkler-Kirchberger, describing her work during this time. The older ones had reported more, but many would only move now. In any case, it is clear that those who had previously experienced bullying were most severely affected by cyberbullying during this time and therefore felt isolation particularly badly.
Quarters got slapped from parents
“Alarming” for Winkler-Kirchberger is that nine percent of young people agree that “a healthy taco has never harmed a child” and another 20 percent tend to agree. It is particularly notable here that boys are much more likely to tolerate domestic violence than girls and young people from lower educational levels far more than those from higher educational levels. 24 percent of those surveyed said they had already received a slap from their parents.
However, experiences of violence are much more common than at home, at events, in public places, on the Internet, and at school. Thirteen percent of those surveyed said there was frequent harassment and violence among young people at their school, another 44 percent face the problem at least occasionally, for a total of 57 percent. It is striking that here too the problem is significantly greater in an environment with a low level of education than in an environment with a high level of education, as explained by Heinzlmaier.
Tyrolean lawyer: “Many teachers prefer to look away”
In addition to peer violence, questions related to teachers were also asked: Eight percent said bullying and violence by teachers occurs frequently, and another 27 percent perceive it at least occasionally. There is also a gap here according to the level of education.
There are many teachers who are unaware of anything, prefer to look the other way, or are simply overwhelmed, said Tyrolean youth lawyer Elisabeth Harasser. Disciplinary procedures are rarely carried out, most of the time teachers are simply transferred and then fall back into old patterns.
Evidence is often a problem because the testimony of one teacher is given more weight than that of multiple students, Harasser said. And parents often did nothing or waited too long for fear of consequences for their children. The result is often psychosomatic symptoms ranging from headaches to refusal to attend school. Therefore, Harasser wants bullying management to be better anchored in teacher training, and more school social workers are needed.
