|
- Every 7 seconds, someone in the UK is bullied......
- One in four people are bullied in the workplace......
- One in five are bullied in school.......
- A lot of bullies have been victims of bullies in the past......
- 20,000 people got help last year when they admitted they were being bullied.....
- Just because a person doesn't react to bullies, doesn't mean they're not hurt by it.......
- Bullying can make a person feel depressed, angry, lonely, isolated, shy, depressed
and even suicidal.......
- 10% of people are bullied on a regular basis.......
- There is adult intervention in only 4% of incidents......
- And 11% of peers intervene.........
- 42% of people admit to have bullied at least once.....
Imagine waking
up everyday and being too scared to go to school. Imagine crying yourself to sleep every night because someone has hurt
you so much. Imagine not being able to go out with friends on the weekend because you're too scared to leave the house in
case someone gives you a dirty look. Imagine hurting yourself purposely because everyone else hurts you. Imagine trying to
kill yourself just so you can escape?
Sadly, thousands
of teenagers in the UK experience these feelings each day, all because of bullying. Some of these cases even lead to suicide
(see Bullying and Suicide) and self-injurous behaviour (see bullying and self-harm).
Bullying happens
in lot of different ways. These include:
-
Name calling
-
Hitting, punching, kicking, biting,
shoving, pushing or anything other physical activity
-
Telling fibs to get someone else in
trouble
-
Theft and vandalism on someone else’s
property
-
Stealing money
-
Taking friends
-
Spreading rumours
-
Threats and intimidation
-
Abusive phone calls, texts or emails
-
Negative comments about appearance,
hair style, fashion sense, actions, personality or any other things personal to the victim
-
Exclusion
-
Racism, discrimination, homophobia
-
Dirty looks or threatening gestures
-
Sexual remarks or touching
Many people
are ashamed to admit they're being bullied, so it is sometimes helpful to look out for signs that a person is being bullied. Some of these are:
-
Coming home with cuts and bruises or
ripped clothing
-
Asking for stolen possessions to be
replaced
-
"Losing" dinner money
-
Falling out with good friends
-
Being moody and bad tempered
-
Not wanting to leave the house, or go
to school
-
Developing mysterious illnesses, such
as head ache and stomach ache
-
Being quiet and withdrawn
-
Aggression
-
Insomnia
-
Not wanting to do homework
-
Signs of stress
-
Anxiety
Bullies usually
have a lot of insecurities to want to bully someone else. I recently read a story about a girl who was a bully, and she did
this because she was always comparing herself to other girls. I remember one thing she wrote: "When I was in a group of people,
I always checked out the girls. Not because I was attracted to them, but instead I was constantly comparing myself to them:
were their legs thinner than mine? Was there hair better than mine? Was I fatter than them? Because I felt so insecure, I
starting bullying people about things I didn’t have, such as the girl with straighter hair than me, the boy who was
smart."
Bullying is
a growing problem in most countries around the world. It is a major reality in the lives of children, whether they're the
victim, bully or witness.
What makes
a victim?
A survey in
1996, shown that 61% of all students have never been involved in any bullying incidents. However, everyday, thousands of students
witness bullying and don't know what to do about it. Many of these laugh along with the bullies in fear of becoming a victim
themselves. Also, some of the witnesses of bullying, don't know what they're witnessing and therefore do nothing. It is, unfortunately,
the first encountered with a bully that decides whether the victim shall be approached again. If they fight back, this
is unlikely, however if they do not react positively, it is possible it shall happen again. There is nothing in particular
that makes a victim a victim, it is just the fact that bullies seem to pick on those who seem weaker or are less likely to
fight back or report them. A bullying victim doesn't have any distinguishing features. They can be the average person that
you meet in the street. To bullies, their victims are usually those who are more vulnerable than them.
What makes
a bully?
A typical bully doesn't have a description. They can come in all different shapes,
sizes and from different backgrounds. They can have different colour skin, they can be short, tall, fat or thin. If someone
decides to bully, it will become a habit that is difficult to change. It is a sick but understandable fact that some students
look up to bullies in some way as they seem to have so much power and control. Bullies are unlike other children. By a certain
age, most children have learn to control their rage and fighting, but not bullies, they have different characteristics. They
seem to want to control everyone and everything, have greater than average aggression patterns, no sense of remorse for hurting
a peer and a refusal to accept responsibility for his or her actions. Some parents support their child’s behaviour and
they themselves bully their children. It is a fact that bullies have a rough home life and are often made to feel weak by
family members or by people living in the neighbourhood. Because they cannot control what goes on in their life, and their
life is so to speak "ruined", they begin to ruin others lives who seem to be doing better than they are, or those
who seem more vulnerable.
|
