China has taken a stand against school bullying and is fighting back, China National Radio (CNR) reported on Wednesday.

Local governments in Fujian and Sichuan provinces and Beijing municipality recently adopted a series of countermeasures in order to curtail the prevalence of school bullying. 

In Beijing's Dongcheng district, for instance, school faculties are being required to report within 10 minutes to relevant authorities when school bullying happens. Equally as important, school principals, teachers and administrators are being encouraged to prevent bullying by including the topic in their syllabi and setting up evaluation systems concerning the consequences of school bullying.

The educational authorities have been in coordination with schools to assist students suffering from school bullying, helping them to recover from traumatizing situation and encouraging them to share their stories with designated district-level officials via hotlines.

According to the Report on China School Bullying Research, issued by the China Emergency Management Academy, last year 25.8 percent students from primary to high schools across the country confessed that they had been bullied in schools.

Some bullying stories have reached shocking extremes, such as one student in Beijng's Yanqing District being forced to swallow excrement in the bathroom. The offense was so severe that it prompted joint action from local educational authorities and the police.

"Out of the reach of security cameras, (places like) restrooms, dormitories and paths between school and home are often where school bullying occurs," said Song Yanhui, deputy professor of juvenile studies at the Beijing Youth Politics College.

According to Song, bullies usually target the students who look vulnerable or are alone.

"School bullying happens more often when the (difference of) force between the aggressor and the victim is substantially imbalanced," said Song.

The prevalence of school bullying is also a cause of growing concern for parents.

"My 9-year-old son is now studying in Beijing," an anonymous parent said. "I always ask him whether he's been bullied on his way home, or had any conflict with others, as we don't expect school bullying would ever happen to him."

Li Meijin, a professor of adolescent delinquency at the People's Public Security University of China, said, "School violence is not just a problem that troubles China, and bullying is especially more frequent among juvenile students."

"We should not only tell the student not to be bullied, but also educate them not to bully others. We should always tell our children, as you grow stronger and stronger, you should never have the idea to bully the weak," said Li.

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