ABSTRACT
In 1983 the Norwegian Ministry of Education established a nationwide antibullying campaign following two suicides adjudged to have been the direct result of bullying. Representatives from thirteen European countries attended a seminar on bullying held in Norway in 1987 under the aegis of the Council of Europe and interest grew as a result of recognition of the severity of the problems and evidence that something could be done about them (Munthe and Roland, 1989). This has led to an expansion of research and a move away from the traditional stance of regarding bullying as an inevitable part of ‘growing up’ which helps children learn to ‘look after themselves’, towards attempts to increase our understanding of bullying behaviour and how to deal with it (Tattum, 1993).
