BULLYING

Bullying



Bullying

Introduction

Every child has the right to an education and every child has the right to be safe. As adults working in the public education system, it is our duty to provide a safe school environment for all students. In order for schools to be a healthy and safe environment they must be free from violence and be nurturing, caring and respectful of everyone. They must be physically and psychologically healthy, promote sensible risk taking and enhance the self-esteem of all. Bullying has no place in a safe school. By taking action against bullying, we can make a significant difference in the lives of all students, and have a profoundly positive impact on the climate of our schools(Salmivalli 2001 263-278).

Bullying

Bullying is defined as hitting, name-calling, exclusion, or other behavior that is meant to hurt another person. Like child abuse, rape, sexual harassment, and racism bullying takes place because of an imbalance of power. It is carried out by someone who has more power against someone who has less power. "Being bullied is not just an unpleasant rite of passage through childhood," said Duane Alexander, M.D., director of the NICHD. "It's a public health problem that merits attention." (Yoneyama Naito 2003 315-330). Bullying is not a new phenomenon but what is new is the growing awareness that bullying has serious consequences for both students and schools. Bullying is a unique form of aggression because it causes long-term damage to all involved, source, target and bystander. Students who are the targets of repeated bullying behavior can, and often do, experience extreme fear and stress. They're afraid of going to school, afraid of using the bathroom or riding the bus. They may experience physical symptoms of illness and a diminished ability to learn.

Bullying also damages the perpetrator(Salmivalli 2001 263-278. If bullying behaviors are allowed to continue, they can escalate into even more serious behavior, such as sexual harassment, or criminal activity in higher grades and in adulthood. By age 24, up to sixty percent of people who are identified as childhood bullies have at least one criminal conviction. Forty percent of those identified had three or more arrests by age thirty. Bullies, one study shows, are at even greater risk of suicide than their targets. Bullies often grow up to perpetuate family violence. (Solberg Olweus 2003 239-268)

The bystanders can be deeply affected by witnessing a bullying situation. They can be made to feel anger and helplessness for not knowing what to do. It can become a nightmare worrying about being next target. They may feel guilt for not taking action and feel fear of certain areas in school( Tani Greenman Schneider Fregoso 2003 131-146).

Not only is bullying a reason for low self-esteem and depression, as well as higher rates of both juvenile and adult crime, it is also a reason for lower student achievement It is estimated that 30 percent of American children are regularly involved in bullying, either as bullies, victims, or both. Approximately 15 percent of students (Yoneyama Naito 2003 315-330)are ...