Bullying is a widespread phenomenon.

 

Inside schools and at workplaces.

 

Protection against bullying is the responsibility of the management. Bullying is wrongdoing, should not be tolerated and in a context of mediation dealt with more or less the same way as crime. When bullying occurs the management must clearly declare that kind of behaviour unacceptable. When bullying happens a heavy disturbance is inflicted on somebody else.

 

Consequently something has to be restored. Restoration can happen in assisted dialogue the same way as crime occasionally can be restored in a victim offender program.

 

The bullying it self is not negotiable in mediation no more than crime is. Bullying should therefore only be subject to mediation when the bullying is admitted to as a wrongdoing. Bullying is not high jinks or horseplay. Bullying is repeated negative actions committed in an environment of power imbalance.

 

A prerequisite for effective mediation of bullying is therefore that the repeated negative actions stop and the imbalanced environment alter into balance