National Day Against Bullying and Cyberbullying in Italy

Last February 7th was the National Day against Bullying and Cyberbullying in Italy. This prompted the Italian postal service to issue a stamp with special cancellations. In the Netherlands, the 'National Day against Bullying' is held annually on April 19th to raise awareness and take action against bullying and cyberbullying. The initiative focuses on schools, businesses, and sports clubs to create a safe environment. However, we have never issued a stamp specifically about 'bullying'. This theme fits well as part of the Children's Stamps.

National Day Against Bullying and Cyberbullying

The design element of the 'Social Values' series was created by Ettore Festa. In the foreground, a boy is seen running with headphones on and looking at his mobile phone; on the right, a girl sits alone with headphones and a laptop. The text and a child appear in the center with 'no' written on them, through which the Ministry indicates a clear and resolute rejection of all forms of bullying is emphasized.

A special postcard with a special Bolzano stamp on the first day of issue: February 7, 2026. Do you know why the stamp is included in Italian and German?

Bolzano (German: Bozen; Ladin: Bulsan) is the capital and largest city of the Italian autonomous province of South Tyrol. Bolzano forms a South Tyrolean district community (German: Bezirksgemeinschaft; Italian: comunità comprensoriale; Ladin: cumunità raion or comunitè comprensoriala). The population in 2022 was 106.918 people. The urban region has a population of 140.000. Although the total population of South Tyrol is overwhelmingly German-speaking, the ratio in the city of Bolzano is exactly the opposite as a result of an Italianization policy during both the interwar period and the 60s: according to the 2001 census, 73% speak Italian, 26% German, and 1% Ladin. In Bolzano, 8% of the population was born abroad or is of foreign descent.

Special cancellations are also available at other locations, Rome and Palermo, on February 19 and 25, 2026.

The question remains when PostNL will finally bring this theme to the attention of the education sector. It is still a relevant topic in 2026.

<strong> More info: </strong>

Previous bullying blog:

https://www.postzegelblog.nl/2021/04/19/landelijke-dag-tegen-het-pesten-19-april-2021/