A draft bill tabled on Thursday before Parliament provides that bullying at school, the workplace and the army in Cyprus is a criminal offence.
And that offenders will be confronted with a prison sentence of up to 12 months and/or a penalty of up to €2,000.
This is what Philenews reports, adding that the bill was tabled jointly by House President Annita Demetriou and Opposition Akel’s Andreas Pashourtides.
The aim is to eliminate acts of this kind which physically and/or psychologically abuse victims, according to the bill.
It provides that criminalization of bullying applies to pupils between the ages of 14 and 18 who are attending a public or private school. And who, by virtue of their status, attend a tutorial or summer school and are under 21 years of age.
“School bullying is defined as the repeated and intentional use of psychological violence by one or more pupils in a school or other related place, against a pupil who is a target,” according to the proposal.
As regards workplace bullying, the bill refers to repeated moral harassment (mobbing) and psychological manipulation (gaslighting). These are terms attributed to workplace bullying, either by actions or other methods that is carried out systematically and intentionally – usually from a position of authority. These actions cause bleak consequences.
“In most cases, such incidents remain hidden out of shame and the creation of feelings of self-incrimination on the part of the victim,” according to the bill.
Therefore, “both workplace bullying and bullying in the army needs effective repressive measures and to this end it is proposed that the criminalization of such acts will be punished with a heavier penalty than that provided by the provisions of the Criminal Code or other laws.”
