Cairo: A school forum in Riyadh’s Saudi capital has started a campaign to raise awareness among the public about bullying at malls.

The drive follows three days of discussion at the forum on Tuesday as part of a largescale campaign against bullying titled “You Have No Right to Behave Like This”. The drive runs until the end of May.

In the past three days, the Forum of the Riyadh Schools Against Bullying featured a group of lectures and workshops targeting students, parents and student guides to educate people about the perils and harms of bullying and enable youngsters to tackle different aspects of the misbehaviour, according to Sources.

One of their lectures carried the title “Impact of bullying on society”; however, another lecture explored the effects and harms of bullying”. 

Tackling bullying was at the centre of a lecture given by psychologist Weam Al Omari.

One of the related campaigns is underway on Tuesday at shopping centres in Riyadh. 

During the drive, male and female students and school guides emphasise the perils of bullying to shoppers.

Bullying is defined as the intentional abuse of authority through repeated verbal, physical, and/or social behaviour with the intent of causing physical, social, or psychological harm to the victim. The act can entail an individual or a group acting aggressively toward one or more people who are powerless to stop it.

Bullying can happen in person or online via using any digital platform, and it can be glaring or veiled.

In Saudi Arabia, all elements of bullying are punishable; they even impose penalties for bullying, especially in schools in the kingdom, including deduction from the offender’s class marks and transfer to remote schools. 

Other forms of bullying, including online misconduct, can cost the offender SR500,000 in a fine and a maximum of one year in prison.