bullying at school






 

Bullying is aggressive behavior that is intentional and involves an imbalance of power or strength. It is a repeated behavior and can be physical, verbal, or relational. While boys may bully others using more physical means, girls often bully others by social exclusion. Bullying has been part of school, and even workplaces, for years. More recently, though, technology and social media have created a new venue for bullying that has expanded its reach. Cyberbullying is bullying that happens online and via cell phones. Websites like YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat allow kids to send hurtful, ongoing messages to other children 24 hours a day. Some sites, such as Instagram, allow messages to be left anonymously.

Preventing and stopping bullying involves a commitment to creating a safe environment where children can thrive, socially and academically, without being afraid.


Types of bullying :


There are a number of ways in which school bullying takes place. These include verbal, physical, psychological, cyber, and sexual bullying. Direct bullying refers to an open physical or verbal attack on a victim. Indirect bullying is more subtle and harder to detect, but involves one or more forms of relational aggression, including social isolation via intentional exclusion, spreading rumors to defame the target's character or reputation, making faces or obscene gestures behind the target's back, and manipulating friendships or other relationships. Pack bullying is bullying undertaken by a group. There is evidence that pack bullying was more common in high schools than in lower grades and lasts longer than bullying undertaken by individuals

 

Physical :


 bullying is any unwanted physical contact between the bully and the victim. This is one of the most easily identifiable forms of bullying. Examples include: fighting, hazing, headlocks, inappropriate touching, kicking, pinching, poking, hair pulling, punching, pushing, slapping, spitting, stalking, or making unwanted and persistent eye contact with a victim, spilling liquids onto a victim, throwing small and lightweight objects at a victim, teasing, threatening, tickling, using weapons including improvised ones, theft and/or damaging of personal belongings.


Verbal :


 bullying are slanderous statements or accusations that cause the victim undue emotional distress. Examples include:foul language or (profanity) directed at the victim; using derogatory terms or deriding the person's name; commenting negatively on someone's looks, clothes, body, etc., (personal abuse); tormenting, harassing, mocking and belittling, threatening to cause harm, taunting,teasing,and making inappropriate sexual comments.

 

Cyberbullying :


Coupled with the increasing use of computers and the internet, the use of such technology and social media has moved some bullying from the schoolyard to the internet.According to the website Stop Cyberbullying, schools experience difficulties in controlling off-campus bullying due to the perception that their role stops at the gates of the schoolyard. Schools are under pressure to not exceed their authority and to avoid violating students' right to free speech. Suggestions have been made that principals act to include cyberbullying in their code of ethics, allowing disciplining of bullying outside of school facilities and according to Professor Bernard James, "the timidity of educators in this context of emerging technology is working in the advantage of the bullies." Educators do appear to have support from the students. For example, three high school students from Melville, New York, organized a Bullying Awareness Walk, where several hundred people turned out to show their support.

 

Researcher Charisse Nixon found that students do not reach out for help with cyberbullying for four main reasons:

 

They do not feel connected to the adults around them

The students do not see cyberbullying as an issue that is worth bringing forward

They do not feel the surrounding adults have the ability to properly deal with the cyberbullying

The teenagers have increased feelings of shame and humiliation regarding the cyberbullying.[

Research suggests that cyberbullying is sometimes an extension of bullying already taking place elsewhere.  Students who are cyberbullied have, in many cases, also been bullied in other ways before (e.g., physically or verbally at school). There are few students who are bullied exclusively over the Internet. Some cyber victims are physically stronger than cyber bullies, which leads these bullies to prefer online confrontations to face-to-face contact.


Sexual :  


bullying is "any bullying behaviour, whether physical or non-physical, that is based on a person's sexuality or gender." A BBC Panorama questionnaire aimed at English teens aged 11 to 19 found that, of the 273 respondents, 28 had been forced to do something sexual, 31 had seen it happen to someone else, and 40 had experienced unwanted touching. U.K. government figures show that in the 2007–2008 school year, there were 3,450 fixed-period exclusions and 120 expulsions from schools in England due to sexual misconduct.This included incidents such as groping and using sexually insulting language. From April 2008 to March 2009, ChildLine counselled a total of 156,729 children, 26,134 of whom spoke about bullying as a main concern and 300 of whom spoke specifically about sexual bullying. Sexting cases are also on the rise and have become a major source of bullying and the circulation of explicit photos of those involved, either around school or on the internet, put the originators in a position to be scorned and bullied. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_bullying)

 

 

Suggestions to solve this problem





 

  1. Talk to someone: Reach out to a trusted adult, such as a teacher, school counselor, or a family member. Share your experiences and feelings with them. They can provide guidance and support.
  2. Document the incidents: Keep a record of the bullying incidents, including dates, times, locations, and descriptions of what happened. This documentation can be useful when reporting the bullying to school authorities.
  3. Report to the school: Inform your school about the bullying. Most schools have anti-bullying policies and procedures in place. Provide them with the information you've documented and ask for their assistance in resolving the issue.
  4. Stay calm and assertive: When confronted by a bully, try to remain calm and assertive. Avoid reacting with aggression, as this may escalate the situation. Instead, confidently express that you do not appreciate the behavior and would like it to stop.
  5. Build a support network: Surround yourself with friends and supportive individuals who can offer encouragement and assistance. Having a strong support network can make it easier to cope with the challenges of bullying.
  6. Take care of yourself: Focus on self-care and activities that bring you joy. Engaging in hobbies, sports, or other interests can help boost your confidence and resilience.
  7. Online safety: If the bullying extends to online platforms, consider adjusting your privacy settings and blocking or reporting the individuals involved. Don't hesitate to seek help from parents or teachers in addressing cyberbullying.
  8. Seek professional help: If the bullying is causing significant emotional distress, consider talking to a mental health professional who can provide additional support and coping strategies.