Within the framework of the agreement on scientific and educational cooperation with the Patrol Police and before the International Anti-Bullying Day, which is held annually on May 4, the Psychological Service together with the Legal Service of the National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic” organized educational event “Bullying prevention in the educational environment” for student youth of Poltava Polytechnic.
According to Yevheniia Khomenko, a practical psychologist at the university, the phenomenon of bullying is quite widespread all over the world. Unfortunately, Ukraine is not an exception, and according to UNICEF, a large percentage of pupils and students suffer from certain manifestations of bullying. The psychological and legal services of the university take care of this issue, as the offense contains a psychological and legal component, for the commission of which responsibility arises. Ensuring the protection of life and health of participants in the educational process is a priority of the state policy aimed at building a safe and healthy educational environment. Preservation of mental health and comfortable psychological conditions for students is a priority of the university’s Psychological Service.
Useful hands-on tips on how to recognize the phenomenon of bullying and how to protect yourself from the manifestations of systematic aggressive behaviour of peers and older persons were shared by representatives of the Patrol Police of the city of Poltava – the head of the sector of ensuring the activities of the Patrol Police Department in the Poltava region of the Department of Patrol Police, graduate of the university in 2003 Nataliia Novikova, head of the public relations department of the Patrol Police Department in the Poltava Region Maryna Ziniukha and officers of the public relations department Serhii Liakh and Alina Kondratenko.
“You all know that on March 30, a Gender Centre was opened on the basis of the Poltava Polytechnic in partnership with the Ukrainian Association of Women in Law Enforcement, the Territorial Department of the Court Security Service in the Poltava Region and the Patrol Police Department in the Poltava Region.
In addition to the fact that we are representatives of the patrol police, we are also members of the Public Organization “Ukrainian Association of Women in Law Enforcement”, which was one of the main partners in the creation of the Gender Centre.
We are working to guarantee that equal human rights are ensured in our country, and European integration takes place as quickly and as efficiently as possible. Accordingly, we are trying to transfer all our knowledge and experience to you so that our life and society will become better,” – emphasized in her introductory speech Nataliia Novikova.
According to her, the problem of bullying (harassment) of participants in the educational process, unfortunately, remains quite relevant in Ukrainian educational institutions, as evidenced by statistical data of various studies, analysis of court practice, monitoring of news, messages and thematic stories of the mass media.
The head of the public relations department of the Patrol Police Department in the Poltava Region, Maryna Ziniukha, addressed the topic of bullying in more detail, telling the student youth about the work of the patrol police as well as the public relations department and, together with the event participants, discussed ways to prevent bullying in the educational and youth environment.
“Despite the fact that we are now told from every available source what bullying is and how to counteract it, many people still do not understand what it is. There are cases when we receive a call about bullying, we arrive at the location, and there are two boys of the 3rd grade who argued over something and were pushing each other. It is very important to distinguish the concepts of bullying, conflict, and hooliganism as well as to learn how to counteract these phenomena,” – shared funny cases from her daily professional activities Maryna Ziniukha.
The expert highlighted the most important signs of bullying (systematic and one-sided character), and together with the event participants, she analysed the types of bullying, including: economic one (systematic deprivation of material goods); psychological one (psychological pressure with the aim of causing a depressed state in the victim); sexual one (offensive gestures of sexual character); physical one (physical bullying of the victim); cyber bullying (systematic bullying transferred to the cyberspace plane).
Useful practical cases were also shared by the officers of the public relations department Serhii Liakh and Alina Kondratenko. The training elements of interaction with the participants presented by the experts aroused special interest among those present.
During the conversation with patrolmen, event participants discussed the bullying causes and consequences, the actions algorithm in case you became a witness or a victim of a crime. It is worth noting that in accordance with the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses, a fine and administrative work are provided for manifestations of bullying towards other people. If a person is a minor, the responsibility for their actions rests with their parents.
It should be recalled that a gender audit was conducted at the university as part of the educational project “Profession by vocation, not by stereotype” implementation.
Earlier, law enforcement officers conducted a training dedicated to countering the most common gender stereotypes, court guards and police officers conducted a training on first aid and safety basics at the Polytechnic, and an interactive training with rescuers took place at the university within the framework of the “16 Days Against Violence” campaign.
Media Center of
National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic”
