The introduction of a national anti-bullying strategy in schools would lead to a reduction in workplace bullying and anti-social behaviour, a Fine Gael TD has claimed.
Olwyn Enright, the party's spokeswoman on Education, said society had become more aggressive in recent years. One way of addressing this was to challenge bullying and violent behaviour in schools, she said.
"It is estimated that workplace bullying is costing Irish business up to €3 billion per annum through poor productivity and absenteeism.
"The children and young people of today will be the workers of tomorrow.
"They must see that unacceptable bullying behaviour at school is tackled when and where it occurs."
Children who were the victims of bullying at school often suffered from anxiety and low self esteem, Ms Enright added. In some cases, incidences of suicide had also been associated with cases of severe bullying.
But although anti-bullying strategies had been proven to work very well, the Government had failed to introduce a national strategy to combat this "destructive behaviour," she said.
A national anti-bullying strategy in schools could have a major "knock-on effect" in preventing negative behaviour in later life.
"The introduction of a national strategy for all schools should be acted upon without delay, so that over the next school year a full anti-bullying strategy can be implemented.
"The national strategy could then have the potential to impact positively on many aspects of life, including workplace bullying and anti-social behaviour," she said.