Initiatives — they don’t work

The Human Rights Commission is seeking a meeting with Education Minister Chris Hipkins to address New Zealand’s high rates of bullying in schools.

In a brief to the Justice Minister this week, the commission said initiatives that target bullying in schools have had no effect on statistics. Over the past five years, bullying prevention programmes, such as Positive Behaviour 4 Learning, have been implemented in schools across the country.

Positive Behaviour 4 Learning is the programme implemented at the Hamilton school where a 12-year-old girl who attempted suicide this year was enrolled.

Addressing bullying in schools has been a priority area of work for the commission since 2011 and includes input from the Bullying Prevention Advisory Group, part of the Human Rights Commission.

The commission said schools need comprehensive, evidence-based bullying prevention programmes.

Furthermore, it says the Ombudsman, the UN Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights and the New Zealand Law Commission have all recommended that a comprehensive programme be implemented to address all forms of bullying, including cyber bullying, in New Zealand schools.

‘‘While the commission agrees with the importance of focusing on social and emotional well-being, it believes issues such as bullying and suicide are complex to warrant a targeted approach,’’ the brief reads.