In Markdorf, a young person was attacked by fellow students. Anti-bullying expert Carsten Stahl finds the school administration’s reaction “embarrassing”. He also finds the beating attack by children in Gera tragic.
After a beating attack by children in Gera, the next act of violence has become public: In Markdorf, Baden-Württemberg, a 14-year-old was ambushed and attacked by fellow students on his way to school. Carsten Stahl is involved in the case as an anti-bullying expert. In an interview, he talks about the attacks in Markdorf and Gera.
FOCUS online: Mr. Stahl, what happened in Markdorf?
Carsten Stahl: Something that unfortunately happens in Germany every day in schools in one form or another. A group of boys grabbed a schoolmate and threatened him. The situation escalated due to group dynamics. He was humiliated with slaps and punches and was seriously injured. Unfortunately, it is now the norm for the incidents to be filmed. The mother went to school, but the school administration did nothing – I know of other cases like this.
Why do school administrators often remain inactive?
Stahl: In this case there was even a video as evidence, it’s not one person’s word against another’s. There is a systemic failure. Unfortunately, the principals are often afraid for the reputation of their schools, but they are also far too often left alone with these problems by the school authorities and ministries. In their helplessness, but also partly because of their own ignorance, too many schools in our country unfortunately remain silent about child and youth violence. As a parent who experienced bullying and violence myself and my son, I know how bad this feels for the families affected, and especially for the children affected.
How did the mother of the victim in Markdorf deal with the silence of the school administration?
Stahl: She left her son at home out of fear of further violence and humiliation. The perpetrators were not suspended and he was extremely afraid of meeting them again. However, the school administration insisted that the victim return to class, he had to learn. The mother then turned to me and the Child Protection Alliance and asked for help and support for herself and her son. I then passed the incident on to the media with your permission.
And lo and behold, a suspension is suddenly possible. Now there is even talk of one of the attackers being expelled from school because he is a repeat offender. Having to change course like that is simply embarrassing and disgraceful for a school administration. The responsible regional council in Tübingen naturally does not find it funny that the case was kept secret from them.
What do you expect from the school administration?
Stahl: I demand that the school in Markdorf and all schools in Germany deal openly and honestly with bullying and violence. The top priority is not the reputation of a school, but the safety of the children and young people under its protection. There are tens of thousands of cases of bullying and cyberbullying in schools in our country every week. Given these figures, no school can shirk its responsibility and claim that there is no violence or bullying in their schools.
In addition, there needs to be much more support from school authorities and ministries for helpless school administrators and teachers who are confronted with these massive problems in their schools every day. Finally, there needs to be disclosure of the numbers of bullying and violence in schools and regular, nationwide support for effective, targeted and sustainable prevention and education.
In Gera, the perpetrators were just 12 and 13 years old. What drives such young people to commit violent acts?
Stahl: In my work, I actually see children who are much younger. Even at the age of eight or nine, they have an extreme potential for aggression. You have to realize that children today are growing up in a completely different world than before. Values such as respect, tolerance, charity and, above all, the integrity of the human body are becoming less and less important. In the last ten years in particular, we have seen a massive increase in youth violence and the brutalization of young people in Germany.
Why do you think this is the case?
Stahl: The smartphone came onto the market in 2010. With more and more apps that pose a threat to children and young people. The worst platform is TikTok. Young people are confronted with false role models and values there. Although the app is only permitted for people over 16, elementary school students are already active on TikTok. If children consume violent content such as abuse, rape, serious physical injuries, sexist content, bullying, hatred, humiliation, animal cruelty or beheading videos every day and send them around in their WhatsApp groups, then that has an effect on them and their attitude towards others and towards social boundaries.
They want to be cool, to belong, to be famous and to be recognized. This is a completely different youth than it was ten, fifteen or 20 years ago. The time of pranks on doorbells is over.
The main perpetrators in Gera were four children under the age of 14, but there were up to 20 young people standing around during the crime. Why didn’t anyone intervene?
Stahl: What we are seeing in Gera is a form of extreme bullying. It is always triggered by a certain group dynamic and peer pressure. In addition, the act is filmed. In the video you can see how the young people incite each other and encourage violence.
None of them wants to be seen as the weak one or the loser, who could be identified immediately by the admission. It’s exactly the same thing that happens in schools – one person starts, many join in, and many stand around and remain silent for fear of becoming victims of bullying, humiliation and violence themselves. And even if these are sometimes “just” insults: these words hit the victim’s soul like bullets, breaking them.
But the perpetrators know that if they are under 14, nothing can happen to them. The justice system sets no limits on what they can do.
What role does the origin and cultural background of the perpetrators play in such incidents?
Stahl: It depends a lot on where people live. They often live in very small areas in urban areas. I myself grew up in Berlin-Neukölln, with many Turkish, Arab, but also many German families. Of course there are tensions when people from different cultural backgrounds live so closely together. There are also parents who perhaps exemplify different values - be it the status of women, or the fact that problems are solved more quickly with violence.
When we bring people into our country – no matter where they come from – it is not enough to just hand them a payment card and leave them to fend for themselves. We have to integrate these people, especially their children. Otherwise, parallel societies will form and conflicts and tensions will arise.