Bullying in Tajikistan's schools

The government in Dushanbe has launched a programme against the phenomenon, which, according to some surveys, has reached 60% of children. But the explosion is also linked to the problem of school organisation, with serious shortages among headmasters and in the teaching staff due to inadequate salaries.

Dushanbe (AsiaNews) - In Tajikistan a prophylactic programme has been prepared for the first time and approved by the authorities against bullying in schools, to which about 60% of boys and adolescents are subjected with various forms of violence, offence, humiliation and threats, which in some cases even lead to suicide. This phenomenon is called by Tajiks by the English term bulling, or the Russian slang bykovat, 'bulling'.

One of the authors of the project, Ministry of Education representative Bobdžon Džakhongir, explained that 'the harassment of minors is becoming more and more widespread in Tajikistan', which is why the ministry decided to deal with it 'officially and on a professional basis', conducting special meetings with teachers and students, to find the right answers to discrimination and the many forms of derision and disrespect. Now 'everyone will be clear when these manifestations are to be considered unacceptable, and how to combat them', the official assures.

Very often the outrages spread via the Internet with the phenomenon of cyber-bullying as early as primary school classes, with the risk that many children stop attending school and suffer reactions to the point of despair and suicide. According to psychologists, the consequences of bullying leave deep negative marks on the self-esteem of those who suffer it; psychologist Firuza Mirzoyeva uses a Tajik saying to define this condition, 'the wound of the axe will heal, but the pain of the word will remain'. The victims are not only the children targeted by the bullies, but also the many of their classmates who are forced to silently watch these scenes without knowing how to react, and what sides to take.

Mirzoyeva also warns that 'today in Tajikistan, the most serious problem concerns the organisation of schools, with a serious shortage of suitable professionals even among headmasters and teaching staff, and an almost total lack of psychologists in schools'. The work is immense, 'but the salaries are paltry'. Another participant in the drafting of the project, the director of the Office for Civil Liberties Dilrado Samadova, says that 'it is now necessary to find sponsors to spread the materials throughout the country's educational institutions, and to support so many concrete needs'.

The aim of the initiative is 'to make children feel defended when they go to school', both by teachers and by their older peers, with inspectors carrying out frequent and surprise checks. Bullies often search backpacks and take the personal belongings of victims, creating a climate of panic in classrooms. According to Tajik laws, members of the police force may also be present in schools, without this being considered prevarication.

The prevention programme was also supported by the United States Agency for International Development, to which Tajik institutions turned after the recurrence of even serious incidents such as stabbings and very violent beatings, and to more effectively counter various forms of cyber-bullying. The provisions approved by the Ministry of Education will have to be compulsorily applied in all schools in Tajikistan, with the supervision of the Ministry of the Interior and the involvement of all the social realities concerned, in order to finally defeat this serious scourge that worries the entire Kyrgyz society.