The Role of Libraries in Combating Bullying: From Legal Awareness to Creating a Safe Environment

• Main Author: Kabarenkova Evgenia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine 2021-01-01
• Series: Наукові праці Національної бібліотеки України імені В.І. Вернадського
• Subjects: bullying, cyberbullying, legal culture, legal awareness, library.
• Online Access: http://nbuv.gov.ua/j-pdf/npnbuimviv_2021_61_23.pdf

The problem of violence and long-term aggression has recently become extremely harsh among young students. Peer harassment is not limited to the roles of aggressor and victim, other classmates are involved in the process, becoming active or passive participants in this relationship. Such misconduct is called school bullying. The phenomenon of bullying is a rather complex concept. Bullying is not just a new trend word, it is a real social problem of the whole world, which was supplemented by the latest form of aggression - cyberbullying - by violent actions aimed at annoying, harming, humiliating a person via information and communication instruments. The article considers the role of libraries in combating this type of violence, because libraries are the public institutions that, performing preventive, cognitive, educational and communicative functions, through cooperation with educational institutions, law enforcement agencies, psychologists, contribute to a safe non-violent environment for adolescents. The library has in its disposal a package of tools to combat this shameful phenomenon: the legal framework, including the latest laws and regulations, research and literature on this topic, partnership with the judiciary, education, local authorities, sites for educational, preventive, cognitive and communicative activities etc. Based on the monitoring of the sites of regional and local libraries, the experience of book collections in this area and what forms of work they use for legal education of schoolchildren, are analyzed.