School administrations across the United Arab Emirates have launched awareness campaigns to educate students about bullying and its various forms. The initiative aims to promote mutual respect, encourage the reporting of incidents, and ensure a safe and inclusive learning environment.
The campaigns, implemented through classroom discussions, assemblies, and daily advisory messages, teach students how to identify and respond to different types of bullying. Guidance sessions define bullying as a deliberate misuse of power intended to cause harm and explain its physical, verbal, social, and suggestive manifestations.
Teachers use role-playing activities and visual materials to help students distinguish between harmless teasing and harmful behavior. Counselors also warn that social bullying, which manipulates relationships to isolate or ostracize a student, can have long-lasting emotional effects.
Schools have been reinforcing the message through digital platforms and communication channels, promoting kindness, empathy, and zero tolerance for abusive behavior.
Experts emphasize that bullying, whether physical, verbal, social, or online, can lead to serious psychological and academic consequences such as anxiety, depression, and poor performance. Bullies may also develop behavioral problems that persist into adulthood, highlighting the importance of early intervention.
The UAE enforces strict penalties for bullying-related offenses. Under the UAE Cybercrime Law, cyberbullying is punishable by fines of up to AED 500,000 and imprisonment of up to two years. Schools that fail to address bullying incidents may face fines of up to AED 1 million or even suspension of operations.
The government’s National Policy for Child Protection in Educational Institutions mandates all schools to maintain a safe learning environment, appoint a Child Protection Coordinator, and establish clear reporting mechanisms through hotlines managed by the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Education.
