AP Foundation workshop with Mariano Janin and Peter Andre at Redbridge College, Romford.
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London-based charity, The AP Foundation, has joined the father of cyberbullying victim Mia Janin to provide cyberbullying workshops in schools across the capital.
The AP Foundation is a charity dedicated to supporting young, vulnerable individuals from all walks of life.
The workshops, which aim to combat cyberbullying among students, are being introduced to schools in Romford, Havering, Hackney, and Tower Hamlets.
Cyberbullying is a form of bullying or harassment through electronic means on digital devices like cell phones, computers, and tablets.
In the workshops, students engage in card exchanges where they ask each other questions such as, “what would you do if you were bullied?” and “where would you go for help?”
Andrew Pritchard, founder of the charity said, “this gets the students to broach a difficult subject matter and start some of those tough conversations.”
He said, “We stand shoulder to shoulder with Mariano, the father of Mia Janin, in his calls for a new cyberbullying law.”
Mia was a 14-year-old student who took her own life in 2021 as a result of cyberbullying by students at the Jewish Free School in North West London.
Mr. Janin has joined the AP Foundation’s workshops, which aims to combat the bullying that affected his daughter Mia.
AP Foundation: “We stand shoulder to shoulder with Mariano, the father of Mia Janin, in his calls for a new cyberbullying law.”
Celebrity Backing
The workshops include a screening of a 15 minute music video called Another Way, which deals with cyberbullying and youth suicide.
Fabio D’Andrea, a British-Italian classical musician created the video, which features TV personality Peter André as the devastated father of a teenage boy who attempts to take his own life after being cyberbullied at school.
Andrew said, “Fabio’s music video has shone a light on the very often hidden pain of bullying, and for some, the tragic impact of cyberbullying.”
Peter André said, “What we’re trying to do is get this into schools so that schools and the government feel compelled to put measures in place.”
Andrew himself is an ex-offender, and a first-hand witness of bullying in prisons. He said, “bullying in all its forms must be stamped out”
He acknowledges that cyberbullying and suicide are sensitive topics, but wants to narrow the charity’s efforts on children of primary school age when they get their first phones.
Legislation
As it stands, there is no distinct cyberbullying legislation in the UK, though perpetrators can be prosecuted under subsections of existing criminal and civil law.
A cyberbully may be committing a criminal offence if the bullying is causing “alarm or distress” to the victim under the Harassment Act 1997.
They could be prosecuted if the cyberbullying is considered “grossly offensive” under the Malicious Communications Act 1988 and the Communications Act 2003.
Andrew said, “Mariano and Fabio intend to lobby for a change in the law that makes cyberbullies accountable, just as ‘Coco’s Law’ made online bullying a criminal offence in Ireland.”
Mariano Janin said the online safety bill, passed in October 2023, would be the “first step to get change, real change, for our young kids.”
He continues to lobby the government for distinct cyberbullying legislation with the support of the AP Foundation.
If you believe a child is in immediate danger, contact the police on 999 or 112.
If the child is not in immediate danger but you are still concerned, or you or someone you know is experiencing bullying, you can contact:
Headline‘Cyberbullying should be a crime,’ says charity combatting bullying in London schools
Short HeadlineLondon Charity: 'Cyberbullying should be a crime'
StandfirstAP Foundation hosts cyberbullying workshops as father of Mia Janin calls for new cyberbullying law.
London-based charity, The AP Foundation, has joined the father of cyberbullying victim Mia Janin to provide cyberbullying workshops in schools across the capital.
The AP Foundation is a charity dedicated to supporting young, vulnerable individuals from all walks of life.
The workshops, which aim to combat cyberbullying among students, are being introduced to schools in Romford, Havering, Hackney, and Tower Hamlets.
Cyberbullying is a form of bullying or harassment through electronic means on digital devices like cell phones, computers, and tablets.
In the workshops, students engage in card exchanges where they ask each other questions such as, “what would you do if you were bullied?” and “where would you go for help?”
Andrew Pritchard, founder of the charity said, “this gets the students to broach a difficult subject matter and start some of those tough conversations.”
He said, “We stand shoulder to shoulder with Mariano, the father of Mia Janin, in his calls for a new cyberbullying law.”
Mia was a 14-year-old student who took her own life in 2021 as a result of cyberbullying by students at the Jewish Free School in North West London.
Mr. Janin has joined the AP Foundation’s workshops, which aims to combat the bullying that affected his daughter Mia.
AP Foundation: “We stand shoulder to shoulder with Mariano, the father of Mia Janin, in his calls for a new cyberbullying law.”
Celebrity Backing
The workshops include a screening of a 15 minute music video called Another Way, which deals with cyberbullying and youth suicide.
Fabio D’Andrea, a British-Italian classical musician created the video, which features TV personality Peter André as the devastated father of a teenage boy who attempts to take his own life after being cyberbullied at school.
Andrew said, “Fabio’s music video has shone a light on the very often hidden pain of bullying, and for some, the tragic impact of cyberbullying.”
Peter André said, “What we’re trying to do is get this into schools so that schools and the government feel compelled to put measures in place.”
Andrew himself is an ex-offender, and a first-hand witness of bullying in prisons. He said, “bullying in all its forms must be stamped out”
He acknowledges that cyberbullying and suicide are sensitive topics, but wants to narrow the charity’s efforts on children of primary school age when they get their first phones.
Legislation
As it stands, there is no distinct cyberbullying legislation in the UK, though perpetrators can be prosecuted under subsections of existing criminal and civil law.
A cyberbully may be committing a criminal offence if the bullying is causing “alarm or distress” to the victim under the Harassment Act 1997.
They could be prosecuted if the cyberbullying is considered “grossly offensive” under the Malicious Communications Act 1988 and the Communications Act 2003.
Andrew said, “Mariano and Fabio intend to lobby for a change in the law that makes cyberbullies accountable, just as ‘Coco’s Law’ made online bullying a criminal offence in Ireland.”
Mariano Janin said the online safety bill, passed in October 2023, would be the “first step to get change, real change, for our young kids.”
He continues to lobby the government for distinct cyberbullying legislation with the support of the AP Foundation.
If you believe a child is in immediate danger, contact the police on 999 or 112.
If the child is not in immediate danger but you are still concerned, or you or someone you know is experiencing bullying, you can contact:
