Danish, Swedish, and Finnish bullying rates are among the lowest in Europe. In this interview, teachers, students, and parents are asked to tell how one Scandinavian nation is ending school harassment.

Sluseholmen Skole in Copenhagen is one of many Danish schools that teaches students to avoid bullying early on, which causes less damage here than elsewhere in Europe.

Primary school students at Sluseholmen Skole start their day with meditation and cuddling. Teacher Maja Hindsgaul believes learning requires well-being.

"They can chat with me about problems. I'm talking a lot about who I am and what I like, and that hugging is fine. "They must learn to read and write, but they can if they feel protected. For them to learn social skills at school, I must make them feel protected."

Learning to Live Together is Taught

"We're always trying to get the kids to work together in different types of groups, across genders and not always with their best friends," said Louise Ibsen. "They're also practicing social skills for how to communicate on different ideas."

Numerous Danish schools utilize these approaches to avoid bullying from kindergarten onward.

Student Polly Schlüter Bingestam remarked, "Everybody has full respect for each other." "Friends help you if you are bullied because they stop the bullies and call a teacher."

School board member Fatemeh Shahmarvand is a parent. This allows parents to participate in school program decisions, which prevents bullying, says Fatemeh.

"I think the most important thing is that if you see that your children are feeling bad, you take it seriously and try to find out what could be wrong, that we parents talk to our children and find how to make them a bit more robust so that they can learn how to cope with adversity," she said.

"Bullying affects all age groups but is especially prevalent among 10 to 15-year-olds," says Rasmus Kjeldahl, CEO of Børns Vilkår. It's crucial for kids to belong to a group. Bullyers are expelled."

Education and school bullying researcher Helle Hansen. She's an expert who designed Denmark's 15-year-old school anti-bullying programs. Such programs have proven successful, but she argues they must be updated for new realities.

Communication and Student-led Governance Matter
The Greve Gymnasium high school headteacher in Copenhagen knows students. Its website has an anti-bullying charter, like many Danish schools.

Group dynamics and student dialogue matter more than sanctions. They have input on the anti-bullying plan and all school rules.

We talk to students about teaching, pedagogy, what they do in breaks, what they do in their leisure time, and how they use social media. Greve Gymnasium headmaster Mette Trangbaek noted that it is also taught.

"We must dare to get close to them and help them in school and outside of class. We build trust because it helps us connect with them and solve difficulties.

That trust was evident in one final-year math session. A group of kids left the class to discuss bullying with their teacher's permission.

Mathias Keimling, a school board student representative, says students have a large say in school decisions. If we hear any of our co-students have concerns, we can take them to the board, where our thoughts will be heard.”

Co-student Lucija Mikic thinks Denmark has fewer bullies than other European countries because kids "learn to treat others as we would like to be treated. This is ingrained in our education," "And it's something you think of before you say anything to someone else."

For her classmate Jonathan Emil Bloch Teute, how children and teens relate to adults also matters: "teachers and parents are confidants and guides rather than authorities to respect and obey. Anyone in Denmark who experiences bullying can talk to an older person to help fix it.

After our chat, the pupils happily saw their math teacher.

"They missed arithmetic, but they learned something vital. It's part of adulthood to choose priorities, "smiles Sanne Yde Schmidt. By being yourself, you can feel good about yourself and avoid bullying.

Xenia Marie Biehl Wilkens, a student, expresses agreement, emphasizing that Denmark excels in making individuals feel acknowledged, valued, and heard as unique persons within the country.

Sanne says, "And important!" You're unique but part of a community. We're apart but together."