Watchdog to examine anti-bullying policies

Schools' anti-bullying policies are to come under the spotlight of the Human Rights Commission to determine if children's rights to safety are being protected.

The move follows calls for a national inquiry by parents of bullying victims at Hutt Valley High School.

Documents issued to The Dominion Post under the Official Information Act also show Education Minister Chris Carter called for urgent action amid fears that schools were not treating bullying as a priority.

Chief Human Rights Commissioner Rosslyn Noonan agreed to analyse children's human rights concerns after meeting Hutt Valley parents.

Nine boys at the school were dragged to the ground and violated by a pack of six classmates last December.

The victims' parents wrote to the Human Rights Commission alleging a "systematic failure" by state agencies responsible for protecting children. They asked for a national inquiry into violence and human rights abuses in schools.

Ms Noonan's report will focus on "the right to safety and security of the person, the right to education and the rights of victims".

It will consider how human rights are addressed by schools' anti-bullying policies and make recommendations in situations in which policies are not protecting children.

The commission has agreed to assist Children's Commissioner Cindy Kiro's school safety investigation, which is due to be issued in February.

The Hutt Valley parents' spokesman welcomed the investigations, saying playground violence was "a much broader issue than one school ... We're talking about child abuse".

- NZPA