A variety of experts from around the world are meeting in Dublin to discuss how to deal with bullying.
It is a problem that has existed since the dawn of time but in the modern era of social media and online trolls, it is perhaps worse than ever.
Now an event called the World Anti-Bullying Forum is set to host up to 1,000 experts to discuss vital matters over a three-day period.
It has been organised by the National Anti-Bullying Research and Resource Centre at DCU, in partnership with FRIENDS, International Bullying Prevention Association and UNESCO.
It will include experts such as educators, parents and policy-makers with the aim of taking a fresh look at the issues of modern bullying.
They will be discussing bullying, cyberbullying and online safety and how best to deal with such problems.
The experts will consider recent research from Ireland and abroad that shows the main reasons people become victims of bullying.
The studies show the that most common reason for people to suffer from bullying is their physical appearance.
This is followed by race, nationality and skin colour.
James O’Higgins Norman is the director of the National Anti-Bullying Research and Resource Centre at DCU.
He said: “Irish and international research reveals that physical appearance is the most common reason for being bullied, with race, nationality and skin colour the second most common reason.
“As Ireland welcomes more migrants and people of different ethnicities, we need to double our efforts to ensure that our schools continue to be models of best practice when it comes to tackling identity-based bullying.
“We look forward to discussing this, among other important topics, over the next few days.”
Written by Michael Kehoe @michaelcalling