Each year the last Wednesday of February is marked as Anti-Bullying Day, aka Pink Shirt Day.

It was first held in Canada in 2007 as a protest, organized by two students: David Sheppard and Travis Price, who would dress in pink, thus expressing their stance and rejection of bullying at school. The idea has been gaining popularity in Bulgaria in recent years, and nearly 2/3 of the schools across the country took part in the campaign last year. Observations show that some 25% of the Bulgarian kids have been affected by different variations of the most common bullying manner – online. This year’s campaign has been aimed at this phenomenon as well, seizing even cyber-dependencies, often observed among minors. Different events are organized for today with the assistance of various NGOs for kids’ social services and advocacy & support centers. Pin-board information materials are prepared, alongside those really popular thematic flash mob events in school yards, photographed from the air. The campaign in the town of Shumen for instance is taking place under the motto “Goodness Needs No Filters”. “The essential thing here is the event to be created by children for children, with only logistics provided by the adults,” experts say.

“Bullying at school can be only registered. We are like photographers. Children are equal for us, but in fact one of them starts to show aggression. That is why the violence should not only be stopped, but its roots should be sought,” says teacher and psychologist Yordan Todorov from the Nikova Yonkov Vaptsarov United School in the village of Valchitran, Pleven region.

There are three behavior roles in a situation of violence: an abuser, a victim and a defender. According to the psychologist, “violence might be provoked by complexes of the aggressive person himself. Copying of home-seen acts might be the other reason. Family environment should in no way be excluded as a basic educative factor. The victim most often provokes violence for being different,” Todorov further comments.

According to the educational ministry there were 4,711 cases of violence at school registered over the 2016 / 2017 school year. The ministry’s experts prepared an inter-institutional action plan last year for prevention of aggression and for providing enhanced security across schools. However, Mr. Todorov says that prevention gets really tough, as the school can react only after the act of aggression is a fact. According to the psychologist, it is essential for kids themselves to join the protection side.

“The defender is a child with really stable and solid system of values. This is a child who has a very good educative parent model at home. The role of the defender is the one which is the most influential for the kids, because via this role they turn into a social and educative corrective of overall behavior at school. They turn into an example of what we should do when we witness violence.”

Peace is the most important thing for a child to grow up healthy – both physically and mentally, Yordan Todorov contends.

“Peace is the essential thing for any child. It comes from the good environment at school and at home. The child can reveal its personality only within an environment of tranquility, focusing on the school agenda and developing his/her skills. Every one of us has his or her positive and strong sides.”

English version: Zhivko Stanchev