The Role of Policies and the Law Against Bullying

Policies and the law are used to various extents around the world to try to prevent and intervene in school bullying incidents. Dan Olweus was a leader in researching, defining, and preventing bullying in schools with his influence clear in anti-bullying policies and programs at a school level and laws at a state/province or national level. The question remains around what impact these are having and are they effective in preventing school bullying. The types and variation of laws and policies vary not only between countries, but also in many cases between states/provinces or even districts within a country, which makes determining the impact and effectiveness of these policies and laws difficult. Different countries implement laws that impact in different ways, from civil or criminal laws governing behavior and laying the path for prosecution of minors or their guardians to laws that mandate states/provinces and districts to create and implement anti-bullying policies within schools. With little in the way of research into the impacts of laws, the research on the effectiveness of anti-bullying policies at a school level have had varied findings from no effect to a moderate effect, or even having unexpected effects. Although prevention and intervention strategies have come a long way since Olweus developed his bullying prevention program, there is still more work and research needed to better create, implement, and determine effectiveness of anti-bullying laws and policies.