A total of 366 cases of bullying in schools were referred to the authorities last year.
The figure was announced by President Emeritus Marie Louise Coleiro Preca during a conference on restorative justice initiatives in schools.
The conference follows an incident on January 17 in which a 12-year-old girl was filmed being attacked, punched and kicked.
Her parents spoke out to raise awareness against bullying.
The school has said it is taking disciplinary action and the police have confirmed they are investigating the case.
Coleiro Preca was referring to the statistics from the Anti-Bullying Unit, which coordinates anti-bullying programmes in schools and provides training to school staff and parents.
“From these numbers we see that last week’s report of the shocking bullying attack is not an isolated case. There are so many children who face similar situations, some left unidentified, unfortunately,” the former president said.
In 2019, over 500 cases of bullying were referred to the authorities.
The COVID measures taken in 2020, with schools going remote for long periods, made it difficult for the unit to collect statistics.
Of last year’s 366 referrals for bullying, 130 came from primary schools. Most were reported from government schools (134), with only two reports from Church schools and none from independent schools.
Another 123 cases were reported in government middle schools (children between the ages of 11 and 13), with three from Church schools and one from an independent school.
There were 113 cases from secondary schools, with 97 from government schools, five from Church schools and one from an independent school.
The figures also break down the number of interventions and sessions the anti-bullying team carried out last year.
Over 1,200 sessions were held between a professional and a student who suffered from bullying.
The team also carried out awareness-raising sessions for teachers and parents.
The conference, themed A Journey to Resolve Our Differences: Investing in Children, was organised by the Malta Foundation for the Well-being of Society in collaboration with Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis and Education Minister Clifton Grima.
Coleiro Preca, the foundation’s chair, said the only way forward for a peaceful co-existence was restorative practices, where the victim and perpetrator listened to each other.