The Diet on June 21 enacted a bill jointly submitted by six ruling and opposition parties and aimed at preventing bullying at elementary, junior high and high schools. It calls for setting up a permanent committee composed of teachers and experts such as psychological counselors at each school, and requires school authorities to report serious cases to the central and local governments — and even to the police when necessary — among other things. The central and local governments will also support organizations that monitor the Internet to prevent bullying through the Internet.
The law is significant because it has made clear that the central and local governments and education institutions have the responsibility to take on the problem of bullying, which threatens to hamper the healthy growth of children, both physical and psychological.
The law is not a panacea, though. Its basic presumptions about the nature of bullying problems are inadequate and the measures included in the law could have negative effects. It is important for school authorities and boards of education to quickly and flexibly deal with problems.
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