In a significant move to combat school bullying and cyberbullying, Princess Lalla Meryem, who heads the National Observatory for Children’s Rights (ONDE), and France’s First Lady Brigitte Macron launched a national campaign on Tuesday from Abi Dar Al Ghifari School in Rabat.
Supported by Morocco’s Ministry of Education, ONDE is spearheading the initiative under the banner “Let’s Act Together.” The program combines a number of measures to protect children and increase school safety.
A new smartphone software called “iTyhad,” for example, will assist children in reporting and preventing bullying. A crucial component of the program, “iTyhad” was created by engineering students at the International University of Rabat (UIR) as part of Lalla Meryem’s March youth innovation event, “Hackathon E-tofoula,” which brought together students from 15 universities to create and develop child safety solutions.
Today, Lalla Meryem and Mrs. Macron participated in an interactive workshop with psychologists and watched the developers give a demonstration of “iTyhad.” A short public awareness video was also broadcast nationwide today in more than 3,300 multimedia-equipped classrooms, amplifying the campaign’s reach to thousands of Moroccan students.
ONDE’s expanded campaign also includes a three-year training program to address bullying in schools. By 2026, the program is expected to have trained over 7,000 teachers and peer ambassadors in all Moroccan secondary schools, fostering a school environment that actively prevents bullying and supports affected students. ONDE has also created a comprehensive guide for teachers, offering tools to detect, prevent, and resolve bullying incidents effectively.
Lalla Meryem and Brigitte Macron received a detailed account of ONDE’s actions so far in 2024. ONDE has established a national helpline, 2511, which allows children and witnesses to report abuse. This helpline has grown into a robust intervention system staffed with trained psychologists, doctors, and lawyers committed to protecting child welfare.
Morocco’s National Child Trauma Support System (DNPTE), which has already been actively supporting children affected by traumatic events including Morocco’s devastating earthquake in September 2023, further demonstrates ONDE’s dedication to mental health.
ONDE collaborated with Morocco’s Ministry of Culture as well as regional women’s organizations to launch a video series aimed at moms and teenagers that tackles topics including bullying and anxiety related to school.
Princess Lalla Meryem presented the “Lalla Meryem Prize” to the four engineering students who developed “iTyhad,” and a student performance highlighting the negative impacts of bullying brought the campaign launch to a close.