title: A review of cyberbullying legislation in Qatar: Considerations for policy makers and educators.
abstract: 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 the crime has been slow to develop. Recently there have been some positive initiatives in the country such as a Cybercrime Prevention Law, the development of a National ICT Strategy, and a website detailing safe practice guidelines for Internet usage. However, the implementation and usage of these initiatives are still limited and there is a lack of awareness of cyberbullying in Qatar. As a result, the risk factors and consequences among school-aged children are 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Kingston University London, Penrhyn Road, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 2EE, UK.
authors.forename: Mairéad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Foody
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Kingston University London, Penrhyn Road, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 2EE, UK. Electronic address: M.Samara@Kingston.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Muthanna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Samara
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Kingston University London, Penrhyn Road, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 2EE, UK.
authors.forename: Aiman
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: El Asam
authors.affiliation: Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), P.O. Box 3050, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Hisham
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Morsi
authors.affiliation: Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), P.O. Box 3050, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Azhar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khattab
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D058445:Bullying / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011050:Policy Making; D011640:Public Policy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D011780:Qatar
keywords: Bullying; Children; Cyberbullying; Legislation; School policy; Victimization