As the law stands today i was shocked to find out that bullying is not a criminal offence only the actions related to bullying are, ( assault, racial abuse, Intimidation etc) As the law stand you must be able to prove each of these offences on each occasion anyone is targeted by bullies. 

It is very difficult for a victim of bullying to prove the assaults verbal abuse etc as they are usually alone or potential witnesses are scared of becoming a victim themselves.as a result the police are very limited in what they can do to protect the victims but are legally bound to protect the accused from any repercussions while still targeting their victims.

As bullying is a pattern of behaviour that is easily identified i strongly believe that the act of bullying should be made illegal as well as the criminal offences linked to bullying. 

we have all seen the anti bullying campaigns but yet the people in authority (police ,teachers etc)have been stripped of the powers to deter the bullying happening in the first place.

Bullying creates mental health issues such as depression and anxiety so surely as part of the root cause of these other serious issues the laws need to be and must be changed.

I put it to the Scottish Government to review and change the laws on bullying so that the victims of bullying are protected and the act of bullying is made illegal with a lot stiffer punishments so that we deter the bullying before it starts instead of reacting to the consequences suffered by the victims on a daily basis. 

Please sign this petition and help take positive action against bullying in our society.