National Campaign Launched to Combat Bullying and Ostracism Among Youth
A national campaign launched under the auspices of President Isaac Herzog aims to combat the alarming rise of bullying and social ostracism affecting one in three children nationwide.
A major national campaign to combat bullying and social exclusion among children and youth was launched under the auspices of the President's Residence. The initiative comes in response to alarming data showing that one in three children in the country suffers from ostracism or bullying. The newly established National Forum for Combating Boycotting and Bullying officially rolled out its media campaign under the slogan "Boycotts and Bullying Are a Red Line." For the first time, the effort brings together the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs, and the Ministry of National Security, alongside the Federation of Local Authorities, youth movements, civil society organizations, and prominent technology and media companies from the private sector.
Empowering the Silent Majority
According to the organizers, the core objective of the program is to shift the spotlight onto the "silent majority"—the students who witness their peers being targeted—and encourage them to offer support, share information, and report incidents so that victims are not left to cope alone. The decision to establish the forum and launch the campaign followed stark statistics indicating that a third of all children and teenagers report experiencing boycotts or social rejection. Concurrently, an identical proportion have been exposed to violence, accompanied by a notable surge in cases handled recently by the National Bureau for Online Children's Protection.
President Ицхак Герцог addressed the troubling figures, defining the current situation as a state of emergency.
I call on every single person in the country to take part in this national campaign against bullying and ostracism among children and youth. When we see an instance of violence, the beginning of a boycott, or a child left all alone—we must not look away. Intervene for the better. This is the responsibility of all of us.
Eyal Shviki, Director General of the President's Residence and Chairman of the Forum, added that the campaign constitutes a civic duty, explaining that the widespread harm inflicted on children necessitates broad intervention to achieve a profound cultural shift in discourse and social norms.
Practical Tools and the "Ze Aleinu" Website
As part of the initiative, the forum launched the "Ze Aleinu" (It's On Us) website, consolidating professional resources from governmental and civil entities under a single roof. The portal serves as an accessible hub providing practical information, guidance, and tools to help students, parents, and educators understand appropriate interventions and find specialized assistance tailored to specific incidents.
Organizers emphasize that the public campaign marks merely the starting point of a long-term partnership. Future phases will encompass expanded grassroots solutions, specialized training programs within schools, and the integration of technological measures to prevent future violence. The ultimate goal is to instill in the younger generation the understanding that apathy is not an acceptable default and that seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness.
