We, the undersigned, call upon the Government of Sri Lanka; the Minister of Education and Minister of Justice, to take immediate and decisive action to address the growing epidemic of bullying in schools. Bullying is unwanted aggressive behaviour that is repeated over time and involves an imbalance of power or strength. The safety of our children is at risk, and it is imperative that the government implements laws to prevent bullying in schools.
The Facts
Sri Lanka currently lacks any laws to deter perpetrators of bullying. The country also lacks a specific Child Protection Act.
Society has not recognized the lifetime negative impact of bullying – to both victim and perpetrator, evidenced by the lack of a definitive word for bullying in the two main national languages in the country being Sinhala and Tamil. This makes communication about the topic with a majority of the population impossible.
Due to the socioeconomic situation in the country, often school syllabi and achievement awards focus exclusively on competitive academic learning at the expense of celebrating behaviour and citizenship.
There have been a series of unfortunate teen suicides in Sri Lanka as a result of bullying.
These preventable tragedies highlight the urgent need for laws to ensure the safety of students.
Our Demands
Immediate introduction of anti-bullying laws by way of a new Act of Parliament to give protection against all types of bullying.
The law needs to be broad-based to protect all sections of society and capture all stakeholders, keeping in mind that some senior school students can be legal adults.
Why This Matters
Every child should have the right to feel safe during their time in school. No parent should have to fear for their child’s life and wellbeing during their school career. No parent or child should suffer the agony of a lifetime of mental health debilitations and financial costs due to negative actions of a perpetrator who does not face any consequences due to the lack of a law against their acts of bullying.
Acts of bullying are not random events that happen by chance. More protective factors and legal safety nets will reduce risk factors and deter perpetrators, thereby increasing the possibilities of a safe and inclusive school environment without bullying.
The Government must act NOW to ensure our children’s safety and well-being.
We urge everyone to sign this petition and demand that the Sri Lankan Government implement these necessary protections before more innocent lives are impacted.
Kajanga Kulatunga and Chenaya Ama Kulatunga drafted this petition.
DISCLAIMER - The Unbully Project and the authors are NOT seeking and WILL NOT accept any financial donations.
Updates
Reached 100 supporters
March 15, 2025
March 12, 2025
I am honestly overwhelmed by how many people have joined this cause when I truly thought it would be just a handful of us. You are the ones pushing this forward and showing me that change is possible through our collective effort.
34 Comments
Verbal and psychological bullying needs to be addressed as well. Teachers need more awareness of this and how they can help. Schools should not take a neutral stand, but do an internal investigation, find out the truth and support the victim. The boys will be boys attitude and that boys fighting is normal attitude should not be tolerated.
I have personally seen the results of getting bullied in schools even when the victims become adults
I am a law student who is currently working on a dissertation on this topic. Ultimate purpose of my dissertation is to propose a legal framework to prevent bullying in schools. Hope my work will really beneficial. I am giving my full support to protect our children from this menace.
There is a difference between ragging and bullying. Ragging is done on freshers in the uni, bullying occurs in schools, from children coming from unhappy homes, taking revenge on other weak children. This must be stopped. I sign this petition
I highly agree with this. I am a coach and I always educate my students about this matter. I include this in my meditation area and make sure that my students do not hurt any of their friends.
bullying in schools should be stopped
.
Sign Petition
We never post to your account. Social sign-in is used only to verify your signature.
Add a comment?
Your signature will be added via . Tell others why you're signing — it's optional.
By signing, you accept our Terms and Privacy Policy and agree to occasional emails about petitions. Unsubscribe anytime.
Share Petition
Don't stop at signing, share the petition link with friends to multiply our impact
Copy link or share directly
We, the undersigned, call upon the Government of Sri Lanka; the Minister of Education and Minister of Justice, to take immediate and decisive action to address the growing epidemic of bullying in schools. Bullying is unwanted aggressive behaviour that is repeated over time and involves an imbalance of power or strength. The safety of our children is at risk, and it is imperative that the government implements laws to prevent bullying in schools.
The Facts
Sri Lanka currently lacks any laws to deter perpetrators of bullying. The country also lacks a specific Child Protection Act.
Society has not recognized the lifetime negative impact of bullying – to both victim and perpetrator, evidenced by the lack of a definitive word for bullying in the two main national languages in the country being Sinhala and Tamil. This makes communication about the topic with a majority of the population impossible.
Due to the socioeconomic situation in the country, often school syllabi and achievement awards focus exclusively on competitive academic learning at the expense of celebrating behaviour and citizenship.
There have been a series of unfortunate teen suicides in Sri Lanka as a result of bullying.
These preventable tragedies highlight the urgent need for laws to ensure the safety of students.
Our Demands
Immediate introduction of anti-bullying laws by way of a new Act of Parliament to give protection against all types of bullying.
The law needs to be broad-based to protect all sections of society and capture all stakeholders, keeping in mind that some senior school students can be legal adults.
Why This Matters
Every child should have the right to feel safe during their time in school. No parent should have to fear for their child’s life and wellbeing during their school career. No parent or child should suffer the agony of a lifetime of mental health debilitations and financial costs due to negative actions of a perpetrator who does not face any consequences due to the lack of a law against their acts of bullying.
Acts of bullying are not random events that happen by chance. More protective factors and legal safety nets will reduce risk factors and deter perpetrators, thereby increasing the possibilities of a safe and inclusive school environment without bullying.
The Government must act NOW to ensure our children’s safety and well-being.
We urge everyone to sign this petition and demand that the Sri Lankan Government implement these necessary protections before more innocent lives are impacted.
Kajanga Kulatunga and Chenaya Ama Kulatunga drafted this petition.
DISCLAIMER - The Unbully Project and the authors are NOT seeking and WILL NOT accept any financial donations.
Updates
Reached 100 supporters
March 15, 2025
March 12, 2025
I am honestly overwhelmed by how many people have joined this cause when I truly thought it would be just a handful of us. You are the ones pushing this forward and showing me that change is possible through our collective effort.
34 Comments
The person who is dearest to my heart suffered a lot as a child. It should not have happened to her and it should not have happened to anyone.
Verbal and psychological bullying needs to be addressed as well. Teachers need more awareness of this and how they can help. Schools should not take a neutral stand, but do an internal investigation, find out the truth and support the victim. The boys will be boys attitude and that boys fighting is normal attitude should not be tolerated.
I have personally seen the results of getting bullied in schools even when the victims become adults
I am a law student who is currently working on a dissertation on this topic. Ultimate purpose of my dissertation is to propose a legal framework to prevent bullying in schools. Hope my work will really beneficial. I am giving my full support to protect our children from this menace.
There is a difference between ragging and bullying. Ragging is done on freshers in the uni, bullying occurs in schools, from children coming from unhappy homes, taking revenge on other weak children. This must be stopped. I sign this petition
I highly agree with this. I am a coach and I always educate my students about this matter. I include this in my meditation area and make sure that my students do not hurt any of their friends.
bullying in schools should be stopped
.
Help this petition grow
Share it with friends to help reach 250 signatures.
Sign Petition
We never post to your account. Social sign-in is used only to verify your signature.
Add a comment?
Your signature will be added via .
Tell others why you're signing — it's optional.
Signing with Google or Facebook verifies your signature instantly — no email needed.
By signing, you accept our Terms and Privacy Policy and agree to occasional emails about petitions. Unsubscribe anytime.
Share Petition
Don't stop at signing, share the petition link with friends to multiply our impact
Petitions like this
Other petitions you might want to support
Scan to share
Anyone who scans this can sign the petition.
The person who is dearest to my heart suffered a lot as a child. It should not have happened to her and it should not have happened to anyone.