Bullying at German schools rises since pandemic: Survey

Physical and psychological bullying at German schools have risen in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a representative survey by the country's statutory accident insurance association (DGUV), reported dpa.

The survey, which was presented in Cologne, found that 56% of all teaching professionals had gained this impression, and 44% had seen an increase in physical violence at schools.

The number of school accidents linked to violence rose by 11,000 over the course of 2023 to 64,897, a figure well below the 72,973 recorded in 2019, the last year before the pandemic.

According to the DGUV's statistics, the 2023 accident rate came in at 7.5 violence-related accidents per 1,000 insured persons, above the 4.6 per 1,000 recorded in 2020, the 3.9 per 1,000 in 2021 and the 6.4 per 1,000 in 2022.

This was nevertheless below the rate of 8.8 per 1,000 recorded in 2019.

Serious injuries resulting from violence, such as bone fractures, were rare, the association found.

DGUV head Stefan Hussy said that, while the long-term trend of declining accident rates was continuing, "this should be no cause to believe that everything is in order."

Accident statistics did not provide a complete picture of school violence, he said. "Psychological violence and its consequences, in particular, do not show up in them."

"To gain an overall picture of the situation at standard schools after the pandemic, we asked those who bear particular responsibility for the health and safety of children and young people: the teachers," Hussy said.

The results showed "that we have a long road in front of us to a school without violence," he said.

The DGUV is the umbrella association of professional associations and accident insurers through which school pupils are insured at school and on their way to and from school.