oa A Review Of Cyberbullying Legislation In Qatar: Considerations For Policy Makers And Educators

Cyberbullying is a worldwide problem affecting mental health, education, safety and general well-being for individuals across the globe. Despite the widespread availability of the Internet, research into prevalence rates of cyberbullying in Qatar is lacking and legislating for cyberbullying in Qatar has been slow to develop. However, recently there have been some positive initiatives in the country such as the development of a National ICT Strategy and a website detailing safe practice guidelines for Internet usage. A Cybercrime Law has been proposed but has yet to be officially implemented in Qatar and as a result, the provisions for cyberbullying among school-aged children are still unknown. The current paper presents an evaluation of the legislative and public policy solutions to cyberbullying available in Qatar and outlines the critical challenges that could potentially face educators in shaping best practice guidelines for the future.

Acknowledgements: The authors would like to thank Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) a member of Qatar Foundation Doha, Qatar, National Priority Research Programs grant (NPRP 5- 1134-3-240) funded to Dr. Muthanna Samara. We also would like to thank the teachers and head teachers in Qatar who were kind enough to provide us with information and advice.