Calls have been made for a review of anti-bullying programmes, with one campaign claiming such initiatives need to be implemented in all schools in Ireland.

Legal expert with the National Anti-Bullying Coalition David Quirke told the Irish Examiner that he believes the country's current system is flawed.

"It is clear from the statistics on school bullying that schools cannot solve the issue of bullying, therefore the national anti-bullying approach must be failing," he commented.

Mr Quirke claimed Ireland's approach to this torment among children is far behind international standards and new legislation needs to be enacted.

In order to cover the increasingly common problem of online bullying, it was suggested the Department of Education needs to update its guidelines, as the current main focus is on harassment carried out over the phone.

According to a study carried out in 2008 by the Anti-Bullying Research and Resource Centre at Trinity College, 30.2 per cent of pupils claimed to have been the victim of bullying.

Written by Donal Walsh

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