Photo/Illutration A survey by “Protect Children eien-no-egao,” a nonprofit organization (Kyota Tsutsumi)

Most children want a bully to apologize to the victim rather than be punished, a recent survey by a nonprofit organization (NPO) to protect children showed.

“Protect Children eien-no-egao,” based in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture, conducted the survey of 116 elementary, junior high and high schools nationwide from January to February.

“I hope the survey results will be reflected in national policy,” said Shiho Morita, who founded the NPO.

The survey was distributed through local education boards and schools to 46 elementary schools, 49 junior high schools and 21 high schools.

The goal was to listen to the honest opinions of children and learn more about the challenges of preventing bullying.

The organization received 26,652 valid responses. One question asked respondents how bullies should be dealt with. 

To which, 68.3 percent said they want bullies to regret their actions and apologize to the victims.

This was followed by 22.6 percent who wanted teachers and parents to speak with the bully.

Only 4.9 percent said they wanted the bully to be banned from entering the classroom.

The survey suggested many children do not seek punishment for their tormentor, the organization said.

“Adults’ mindsets tend to be detached from how children think,” Morita said.

For ideal consultation services, 65.5 percent of the students said they wanted communication such as email and LINE, while 32 percent preferred face-to-face communication.

Some respondents said they were unable to access consultation services provided by NPOs and others because parents and schools have used filtering functions on children’s smartphones and computers to protect them from illegal websites and harmful online information.

The survey also asked about the anti-bullying law that took effect in 2013 urging schools for earlier detection and reporting of bullying cases.

The majority, at 64.3 percent, said they did not know about the law, while 25.7 percent said they knew about the law but did not know the contents.

The replies mean that a total of 90 percent said they did not know the contents of the law.

Lawmakers in the Diet are discussing establishing a new agency for children and families, one of the main policies of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

But 84.5 percent of the respondents said they wanted the lawmakers to listen to children’s opinions about legal systems and environmental arrangements, and they wanted to build such systems through joint discussions.

Morita, whose son was bullied in Kawaguchi, established the NPO in April 2020. 

The organization has received consultations from children, parents, education boards and people related to schools.

In March alone, the NPO said it received 416 consultations.

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