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School is starting! How do we fight bullying? Apelul de seară, with Florin Băcioiu
September 11, 2023 On YouTube
A Guide for Parents, Teachers and Students
Bullying in Schools: What It Is, How to Recognize It and What You Can Do
One in two students in Romania say they have been bullied by their classmates. Here you'll find, in plain language, how to tell bullying apart from an argument, what the numbers show and what to do, step by step.
49% of students in Romania say they have been victims of bullying Source: Salvați Copiii România, 2022
81% say they have witnessed bullying at their school Source: Salvați Copiii România, 2022
15% of adolescents in 44 countries have been cyberbullied Source: WHO Europe, HBSC 2021/2022
21% of 15-year-old students in Romania are bullied a few times a month Source: PISA 2025
At a glance
Bullying is repeated, intentional behavior in which a child or a group hurts, humiliates or excludes another child who cannot defend themselves. It has three hallmarks: the intent to cause harm, repetition and an imbalance of power. It can be physical, verbal, relational or online.
In Romania, 49% of students say they have been victims and 81% say they have been witnesses (Salvați Copiii România, 2022). It rarely goes away on its own: it usually stops when an adult steps in and when classmates stop staying silent. Law no. 221/2019 prohibits it in schools, and every school must have an anti-bullying action group. For advice, Telefonul Copilului is available at 116 111, free of charge.
What Bullying Is
The word comes from English and has no single equivalent in Romanian. It is called harassment, intimidation or, in the law, psychological violence. Not every argument between children is bullying, and neither is every bad joke. It becomes bullying when three things come together.
1
Intent
It is not an accident and it is not play. The goal is to make the other child suffer, feel small or be left out.
2
Repetition
It happens again and again, to the same child. The child being bullied comes to dread the next day.
3
Imbalance of Power
The one doing the bullying is older, stronger or more popular, or has the group on their side. The other child cannot defend themselves alone.
Argument or Bullying?
| Argument between children | Bullying | |
|---|---|---|
| Who has the power | The children are about equally strong. | One or more are stronger: physically, in numbers, or in their standing in the group. |
| How often | It happens once or every now and then. | It keeps happening to the same child for days or months on end. |
| What the goal is | Each side wants to be right or to get something. | The goal is to hurt, humiliate, or push the other child out of the group. |
| How it ends | They usually make up and stay classmates. | It rarely stops on its own. An adult needs to step in. |
The four forms of bullying
Most of the time they show up together: a nickname used in class carries on in the evening, in the group chat on the phone.
Physical
Hitting, shoving, tripping, belongings taken or broken.
It's the easiest form to spot. It often comes after words and exclusion, not at the start.
Verbal
Nicknames, insults, threats, repeated jokes at the same child's expense.
In PISA 2022, 15-year-old students in Romania said that what happens to them most often is being made fun of or having rumors spread about them.
Relational
Being left out of the group, rumors, “don't talk to him,” being deliberately ignored.
It leaves no marks and is hard for adults to notice. The child ends up alone during breaks and activities.
Online (cyberbullying)
Hurtful messages, photos shared without consent, group chats the child is kicked out of or mocked in.
It doesn't stop at the school gate. It follows the child home, on their phone, at any hour, and many people can see it.
How widespread bullying is
Three different measurements, carried out by different organizations. The questions aren't the same, so the figures can't be compared with each other, but they all say the same thing: it's an everyday problem.
Romania: from 29% to 49% in six years
Percentage of students answering “yes” in the two Salvați Copiii România surveys
Were victims
Witnessed it at school
Witnessed it in class
Source: Salvați Copiii România, press release of March 28, 2024, and Edupedu.ro. The 2022 survey was conducted online among 4,449 students aged 10-18, using the same method as the 2016 study. In the same survey, 27% of students said they had bullied others themselves.
Romania vs. the OECD average
15-year-old students bullied at least a few times a month (PISA)
RomaniaOECD average
PISA 2018
PISA 2025
Source: Edupedu.ro, on PISA 2018 and PISA 2025. The bars are drawn on a scale from 0 to 50%.
Online bullying is on the rise
Adolescents aged 11, 13 and 15 in 44 countries and regions who have been bullied online (WHO, HBSC study)
Boys
Girls
Source: WHO Europe, HBSC 2021/2022, Volume 2, with figures from the coordinating center's presentation. In the same study, 11% of adolescents said they had been bullied at school. The bars are drawn on a scale from 0 to 50%.
84%
stepped in to help
of the students in the Salvați Copiii România survey say they stepped in on the side of the classmate being bullied. Bystanders are the largest group and can make the biggest difference.
1 in 10
is bullied often
students say they have been in these situations often or very often. For these children, school has become a place they fear.
50 points
lower in math
is the gap, according to the PISA 2022 report for Romania, between students threatened by classmates at least a few times a month and those threatened a few times a year or less.
Sources: Salvați Copiii România survey, 2022, and PISA 2022 report for Romania.
The Signs to Watch For
Most incidents happen with no adults around. That's why what matters is the changes you notice in the child, not what you happen to see with your own eyes.
Signs that a child is being bullied
- They no longer want to go to school or often find reasons to stay home.
- They come home with belongings torn or missing, or without their pocket money.
- They have headaches or stomachaches in the morning with no medical cause.
- Their grades drop and they can't concentrate anymore.
- They sleep poorly, seem sad, withdraw into themselves or lash out easily.
- They no longer have friends to hang out with and aren't invited anywhere anymore.
- Their face changes when they get a message, or they hide their phone.
Signs that a child is bullying others
- They talk about certain classmates with contempt and call them names.
- They have things or money they can't explain.
- They blame others and don't take responsibility for what they did.
- They need to lead the group and decide who's in and who's out.
- They get angry quickly and settle disagreements by force.
- They have been humiliated themselves, at home or in another group.
A single sign doesn't mean bullying. Several of them, showing up around the same time, are a good reason to start a calm conversation. The child who bullies needs help too: they have often learned this behavior somewhere.
What You Can Do
Choose who you are. The steps are listed in the order they're worth taking.
If you're a student
It's not your fault
No one deserves to be humiliated, no matter how they look, what grades they get, or what they've said.
Tell an adult you trust
A parent, homeroom teacher, school counselor, coach. Asking for help is not snitching. You snitch to get someone in trouble. You ask for help to stop something harmful.
Don't respond in kind
Responding with violence gives the other person what they're after and can make you the one who gets blamed.
Keep the evidence
If you're being harassed online, take screenshots, then block and report the account.
Stay close to classmates who respect you
When you're with others, you're harder to bully and you have someone to tell.
If you're a bystander, don't laugh and don't film
Go stand next to the classmate being bullied, get them out of the situation, and tell an adult. The group's silence is what keeps the bully going.
If you're a parent
Listen all the way through
No interrupting, no “well, what did you do to them?” Your child first needs to be believed.
Keep your promises
If you said you won't do anything without telling them, stick to it. Trust is hard to earn and can be lost in a day.
Write down the facts
What happened, when, where, and who was there. With the facts in writing, the school has something to start from.
Go to the homeroom teacher and the school counselor
Ask, in writing, for the situation to be referred to the school's anti-bullying action group.
Don't try to settle it yourself with the other child or their parents
It can make things worse for your child. The safe way goes through the school.
If your child is the one doing the bullying
Don't humiliate them in turn. Say clearly that this behavior stops, find out what's driving it, and work with the school.
If you're a teacher
Stop what you see on the spot
Calmly and firmly, with no interrogation in front of the class. Whatever you let slide, the class takes as permission.
Talk to each student separately
First with the child being bullied, then with the one doing the bullying, then with the bystanders. Don't bring them face to face to “make up.”
Notify the anti-bullying action group
The legal regulations require every school to have such a group, with a plan and intervention procedures.
Work with the whole class, not just two children
Bullying is a group problem. Class rules are written together with the students, and they're kept.
Give bystanders a role
When classmates stop laughing and stop staying silent, bullying loses its audience.
Bring the topic into homeroom lessons
Self-esteem, respect, and the way we talk to each other are learned, like anything else.
A child who knows their own worth doesn't need to make someone else feel small and doesn't easily believe what others say about them.
De aceea, pe lângă reguli și pedepse, prevenirea începe cu lucruri care par fără legătură: stima de sine, respectul și celelalte valori, felul în care alegem și felul în care ne certăm. Elevii din proiectele noastre au spus-o chiar ei, în dezbateri: încrederea în sine îi ajută să nu ia în seamă jignirile, iar ce au învățat a fost să vorbească, să ceară ajutor și să lucreze în echipă.
What the law says
Since 2019, bullying has been named and prohibited by law. Law no. 221/2019 introduced the concept of psychological violence, that is, bullying, into the education law and banned it in schools and in all spaces intended for education.
The implementing rules were approved by order of the Minister of Education and published in the Official Gazette (Monitorul Oficial) on June 10, 2020. They require every school to have:
- an anti-bullying action group, which also includes parent representatives
- a school anti-bullying plan
- intervention procedures for reported situations
- immediate intervention by teachers when they witness or learn about a case
In short: as a parent, you can ask the school, in writing, to look into the situation. As a teacher, you have a duty to intervene.
What we do in schools
Asociația Maxwell România has been working with students on this topic since 2021, through the project “How to Deal with Bullying” and through lessons taught by teachers in the classroom.
over 490“Bullying Prevention” lessons reported by teachers since 2021
over 11,100students attending these lessons, according to teachers' counts
over 310schools where the lesson was taught
31counties, including Bucharest
Figures counted by Asociația Maxwell România from the reports that teachers in the MaxLeaders program submit after each lesson. They update automatically.
The “How to Deal with Bullying” Project
The project ran for several editions between 2021 and 2023. Middle school students take part in a series of sessions in which those who bully learn how much harm they cause, and those who are bullied learn what steps to take and why they should ask an adult for help.
In Timișoara, the 2021 and 2023 editions each ended with a student debate about forms of harassment, from verbal to online, and about how you can respond. In 2021, the debate featured students from Middle Schools No. 6 and No. 16, and in 2023, students from Schools No. 21 and No. 24, held at Colegiul Național “Constantin Diaconovici Loga”. The debates were filmed by local TV stations, and you can find them below.
The bullying lesson is the one teachers teach most often
Lessons reported by teachers in the MaxLeaders program, by topic (top six)
Source: reports from teachers in the MaxLeaders program, counted by Asociația Maxwell România.
Students talking about bullying on TV
The debates and TV programs about the project. Each one has its own page with a summary.
TVR Timișoara
Bullying: debates with students about how it starts and how it can be fought
February 27, 2023 On YouTube
Frequently Asked Questions
Where to get help
If you or your child are going through this right now, you don't have to handle it alone.
116 111Telefonul Copilului, the free European helpline for children.
112If someone is in danger right now.
School counselorTalk to the school counselor about what is happening.
Homeroom teacher and principalAsk in writing for the situation to be referred to the anti-bullying action group.
Where our lessons come from
The association's programs are based on the ideas of John C. Maxwell, author of more than 100 books on leadership. The idea that ties them together: influence is built on character, and character is formed early.
The “iChoose,” “iDo,” and “iLead” guides used in schools were created by his nonprofit foundation, Maxwell Leadership Foundation, and Asociația Maxwell România translated and adapted them for schools in Romania. About John C. Maxwell and the schools program.
Reviewed by
Sorin Popa, President of Asociația Maxwell România and of Maxwell Leadership România.
Last reviewed: November 12, 2026. Written by the Asociația Maxwell România team.
Sources
All the figures on this page come from these sources. Figures about the association's lessons are counted by us and are marked as such. The signs and steps are general guidance and do not replace the advice of a specialist.
- Salvați Copiii România, press release of March 28, 2024: the online survey from the end of the 2021-2022 school year, answered by 4,449 students aged 10-18, compared with the 2016 national study.
- Edupedu.ro, on the Salvați Copiii survey: the figures from the 2022 survey alongside those from 2016.
- World Health Organization, Regional Office for Europe: HBSC study 2021/2022, volume 2: students aged 11, 13 and 15 from 44 countries and regions in Europe, Central Asia and Canada.
- University of Glasgow, HBSC International Coordinating Centre, March 27, 2024: the main figures from the volume on bullying and peer violence.
- Edupedu.ro, on the PISA 2018 results: 15-year-old students who say they are victims of bullying a few times a month.
- Edupedu.ro, on the PISA 2025 results: 15-year-old students who say they were victims at least a few times a month.
- Edupedu.ro, on the PISA 2022 report for Romania: the link between bullying and math results.
- Ministry of Education: implementing rules for Law no. 221/2019: the rules approved by ministerial order and published in Monitorul Oficial on June 10, 2020.
See also
Personal Development for Students
The association's programs for schools at a glance: the optional course, the guides and the lessons taught by teachers.
See the programs →The “Education for Life” Optional Course
An optional course for grades 5-7, approved by the Ministry of Education and Research, about values, choices and responsibility.
About the optional course →“iChoose” Impact Studies
What changed for students who completed the guide, measured every year by CJRAE (County Center for Educational Resources and Assistance) Hunedoara.
See the results →Want the bullying lesson at your school?
The lessons are taught in class by teachers in the MaxLeaders program. Write to us and we'll tell you how your school can join the program.