Human Rights Commission

What can the Human Rights Commission do about bullying, harassment and/or violence in schools? Where else can young people, parents and schools get support?

Bullying, harassment and/or violence at school are serious. They affect the right of young people to be safe and free from violence and their right to education.

The Commission can help in two ways:

• provide advice and link to organisations with specific responsibilities for dealing with complaints about bullying at school
• help sort the problem directly, particularly if the bullying or harassment is linked to one of the grounds of discrimination in the Human Rights Act (such as someone’s  sex, race, sexual orientation or disability).

The Commission works with organisations like the Office of the Children’s Commissioner to highlight what schools and communities can do about bullying and harassment. It has published an analysis of the human rights issues to help make schools safer for everyone: School violence, bullying and abuse: A human rights analysis.

If your child has been subjected to an incident of bullying, harassment or assault at school, it is important to discuss it with your child’s teacher or the principal. If you think their response is unsatisfactory, you can write to the school’s Board of Trustees.  For ongoing concerns, you can also approach the Education Review Office, the Ministry of Education or the Office of the Ombudsmen. If your child has been assaulted you should contact the police as well as the school .There are many anti-bullying resources available online, which may be useful for children,  parents and schools in situations where bullying, harassment or violence has occurred. They include:

• New Zealand Police’s No Bully website – resources for kids, parents and teachers
• Office of the Children’s Commissioner – resources for parents
• The Parents’ Legal Information Line for school issues 0800 499 488.
• Chapter 9 in the Wellington Community Law Centre publication Schools and the Right to Discipline: a guide for parents and caregivers
• Ministry of Education advice for parents whose child is being bullied
• YouthLaw FAQs for young people about bullying in schools
• Kidsline 0800 543 754 (from 4-6pm weekdays)  for children and young people up to the age of 14
• What’s Up 0800 942 8787 – phone support for older students.
• Ministry of Education advice for schools – about class disruption and bullying
• Te Kete Ipurangi Resources for schools
• Office of the Children’s Commissioner  – anti-bullying research and case studies for schools
• Netsafe [http://www.netsafe.org.nz] – advice and resources about cybersafety and cyberbullying.

To contact the Human Rights Commission  , call the Infoline number on 0800 496 877 or email infoline@hrc.co.nz