Reports of bullying in Ukraine have increased
Kyiv • UNN
Since the beginning of 2026, the Ombudsman has received 166 reports of bullying, compared with 191 for all of 2025. The updated rules have been in effect since August 11.
As of the beginning of September 2026, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights had already received 166 reports concerning bullying, whereas there were 191 such reports throughout 2025. Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets reported this on September 5, UNN reports.
Details
"The new school year has begun. It is important to take care of what matters most — ensuring that every child feels safe at school. Bullying is a problem that cannot be silenced or perceived as "ordinary childhood conflicts,"" the Ombudsman said on social media.
"In 2026, I have already received 166 reports concerning bullying. For comparison, in 2025 there were 191," Lubinets wrote.
This means that, on average, there were 15–16 reports per month last year, or approximately one every 2 days. Whereas, based on the figures since the beginning of 2026, there were approximately 20 reports per month, or about once every one and a half days.
At the same time, the Ombudsman noted that "these figures do not necessarily mean that there have been more such cases."
"They indicate something else: children and parents are speaking about the problem and seeking help, which means we must hear them and respond. A telling case is the report by the father of children from Zhytomyr region concerning systematic bullying by a teacher. The family had already tried to resolve the problem at the school level, but the situation did not change," Lubinets added.
He opened proceedings and sent the relevant inquiries, and following the investigation, the teacher was reprimanded, while the institution's management was reminded of the need to strengthen oversight and prevent similar situations in the future.
The Ombudsman also reminded that updated rules for responding to violence and bullying in educational institutions have been in effect since August 11, 2026.
He provided more details in an infographic.
