When I read that news that told us about a director of Secondary School in a town of l'Alt Empordà (Catalonia), that there was denounced five of his students for cyberbullying, I thought "that is the right attitude, it is necessary for brave and committed people to act in the face of these kinds of facts."
In just 12 days, unpleasant comments, slander, intimacies and gossip that damaged about 30 students had been posted on two social networks; some were the precursors, others were limited to reproduce the contents and forward them, we can consider that they are collaborators. Carme Barceló is convinced that the IES had to intervene, even if the events had happened outside the classes, since they are students of the center that were harassing others, and in the end these behaviors end up having repercussions in the whole educational community.
The necessary intervention of the Institute
The damage was done, and some of those affected spoke with the director of the Institute to explain what was happening, without thinking twice Carme took action. After writing on his own wall his intention to file a complaint because he had lacked the honor of other children, explained the case to the Mossos d'Esquadra and the Local Police, and - finally - organized a talk about values, during which the students watched the video of Amanda Todd recounting her terrible experience as a victim of harassment, and before committing suicide .
This talk was also attended by members of the aforementioned police forces, who told them about the legal consequences of certain acts on the Internet, and about the profile of the harassing students
It seems that soon after, five of the students of the center confessed the authorship of the facts, and it is expected that although relatives of aggressors and victims know each other, they do not end up reporting each other; in fact, disciplinary measures will be applied according to the Internal Rules of the Center, regardless of the processing of the complaint to the police. But we want to avoid external interference so that the identity of children (between 13 and 16 years) does not transcend.
Now it is known who the precursors were, although not those who collaborated in spreading the aggressions, and whatever the reason that has led these children to act in this way, it is expected that the events will not be repeated in the population.
Moral damage and legal consequences
We find in the Cyberbullying Guide of the Community of Madrid, that consciously or unconsciously, adolescents carry out actions on the Internet, which constitute behaviors typified by the Criminal Code. And these actions cause damage, with greater or lesser social impact, but above all "damage" to individual victims.
Threats (and coercion), slander and insult, crimes against privacy, and use of personal data, are reportable, also if they occur through the network. It is therefore important that children know that the Internet does not grant anonymity, and that good social life goes through having a socially appropriate behavior in our Internet relationships.
In my opinion, Carme Barceló is an example to follow, because far from trying to hide some facts that go against the dignity of the students, or of not giving up the victims, he has acted head-on, with courage and responsibility. Because - after all - it is the maximum guarantor of the well-being of the students while they are in the center, and the minimum that we expect parents is that in our children's school Know how to protect them.
Images | Brad Flickinger, B Hartford J Strong Via | El Periódico En Peques y Más | When there is no attachment to key values for living together, abusive behaviors on the Internet increase, Tips to protect our children from cyberbullying and grooming, Educate your children in the healthy use of the Internet: do not let your ignorance be your source from problems
