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BULLYING
Bullying occurs in every country around the globe when kids aren't
tolerant of each other. It is a universal problem faced by kids of
every age. It happens in schools, neighbourhoods, and homes every
single day.
The more you know about bullying, the more you can do to stop it.
Did you know there are many different kinds of bullying? Bullying
can be as simple as calling somebody a name or as hurtful as
pushing someone down. There are many strategies you can use to
stop bullies and to help others.

Did you know that bullying isn't just someone punching you in the
face or a bully calling you a name that you don't like? Bullying is a
lot more than that. There are even different types of bullying.
Different Kinds of Bullying
1. Physical bullying includes any physical contact that would hurt
or injure a person like hitting, kicking, punching, etc. Taking
something that belongs to someone else and destroying it would
also be considered a type of physical bullying. For example, if
someone was walking down the street and someone came up to
them and shoved them to the ground, that would be physical
bullying. In elementary and middle schools, 30.5% of all bullying is
physical.
2. Verbal bullying is name-calling, making offensive remarks, or
joking about a person's religion, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic
status, or the way they look. For example, if there was a group of
kids who made fun of another kid because he couldn't run as fast as
everyone else, it would be an example of verbal bullying. 46.5% of
all bullying in schools is the verbal type. Verbal aggression is when a
bully teases someone. It can also include a bully making verbal

threats of violence or aggression against someone's personal

property.
3. Indirect bullying includes spreading rumours or stories about
someone, telling others about something that was told to you in
private, and excluding others from groups. An example would be if
you started a rumor that a boy in your class likes playing with dolls,
and if the reason that you made up the story was because you
thought it was funny. This would be indirect bullying. Indirect
bullying accounts for 18.5% of all bullying.
4. Social alienation is when a bully excludes someone from a
group on purpose. It also includes a bully spreading rumors, and
also making fun of someone by pointing out their differences.
5. Intimidation is when a bully threatens someone else and
frightens that person enough to make him or her do what the bully
wants.
6. Cyberbullying is done by sending messages, pictures, or
information using electronic media, computers (email & instant
messages), or cell phones (text messaging & voicemail). For
instance, if you sent a picture of a snake in an email to a person
because you know that they are afraid of snakes, that would be an
example of cyberbullying. According to a survey done in 2003 only
4% of bullying is listed as "other types" and this would include
cyberbullying. Even though this number seems small, the growth of
this type of bullying is going up fast because of the spread of
technology around the world.

Consequences
Many people think that bullying is a normal part of childhood or that
"kids will be kids." However, research shows that in fact, bullying
can cause negative academic, physical, social, emotional, and
psychological consequences on victims, bullies, and witnesses.
These consequences can be short-term or long-term. Bullying can
also greatly affect the overall climate of a school.

Victims
First of all, as a result of being bullied, victims may experience
many immediate mental or physical health-related consequences.
Studies show that victims have more anxiety, sadness, sleep
difficulties, low self-esteem, headaches, stomach pain, and general
tension than their peers who are not being bullied. Researchers
from Finland discovered that victims are more likely than bullies to
suffer from anxiety disorders, such as depression, separation
anxiety, panic disorder, etc. Also, this psychological stress can cause
victims' bodies to be less resistant to disease and infection, and
therefore they may get sick more often.
In the social area, victims have few friends or none at all. Due to
their high anxiety level and low self-worth, it is very hard for them
to make friends. This leads to feelings of isolation and believing that
they are not even worthy of having friends. Also, other kids often do
not want to become friends with the victims, because they are
afraid that they will be bullied as well. Another reason that other
kids do not hang around with victims is because they worry that
peers will not like them if they associate with the victims.
Feelings of loneliness and sadness on the part of victims can also
lead to consequences related to their learning and school success.
Being a victim can result in poor school attendance, because many
victims become afraid of going to school. They are also scared of
riding the school bus or using the bathroom at school. One study
found that 8% of 8th graders in the U.S. miss at least one day of
school per month for fear of bullies. Victims often receive lower
grades due to attendance problems, and also due to their stress and
worry. They become obsessed with the bullying and how to try to
avoid it. This leaves little or no time, energy, or concern for
schoolwork and learning. A vicious cycle can occur because the
victim's poor school performance can lead to embarrassment and
anxiety, which can in turn cause them to be picked on even more.
Another possible result of being bullied is that victims may become
violent, either at the time of the bullying or in their futures. This

violent behavior may be directed toward themselves,

toward their school in general, or may even be
directed as retaliation toward the bullies themselves.
Sometimes the violent behavior can lead to
even more bullying towards the victim, as the bullies
want revenge on the victim for bullying them.
Some experts believe that school shootings are related to bullying.
Students who committed school shootings were over two times as
likely to have reported that they were victims of bullying.
As mentioned earlier, victims are more likely to suffer from anxiety
disorders and depression, and these disorders can continue into
adulthood. Sometimes the disorders can also cause difficulties with
the victims' family, friends, and co-workers in their futures.
In some cases, the bullying may be so severe and may go on for so
long that the victim has thoughts of suicide, (which is also called
suicidal ideation), or he or she may actually commit suicide. Victims
are also more likely to have attempted suicide than their non-bullied
peers. The term "bullycide" is used to describe a victim's suicide
that occurs due to extreme bullying behavior by a bully toward that
victim.
Bullies
Children who bully others also experience many short term and long
term consequences of their bullying behavior. They are more likely
to get involved in other harmful activities, both as a child and as an
adult. While they are still young, they may steal or vandalize
property, start or join in on physical fights, become injured in a
fight, skip school, carry a weapon in order to scare others, or use
alcohol and other drugs. They are also five times more likely to be
taken to criminal court and to be found guilty of a crime than are
their peers who do not participate in bullying behavior.
Most bullies do not just "outgrow" their bullying behaviors when
they get older. Instead, the aggressive behavior continues into
adulthood. A study conducted by psychologist Dan Olweus of

Norway found that 60% of students in Scandinavian countries who

were classified as bullies in 6th through 9th grade had one or more
incidents of being convicted of a crime by the time they were 24
years old. Also, these bullies were four or more times as likely as
nonbullies to be involved in numerous convictions of crimes.
Another study showed that by the time they were 30
years old, one out of 4 bullies had a criminal record.
The bullies' need for power tends to carry on into
their grownup years. As adults, these bullies misuse
this power by becoming involved in sexual and racial
harassment, child abuse, domestic violence, etc.
Their need for power can also show up in how they
parent their own children. In turn, their children may even bully
other children in the future.
Remember how a researcher from Finland found that victims were
more likely to develop anxiety disorders than bullies were? That
same researcher discovered that bullies were more likely to have an
antisocial personality disorder as opposed to anxiety disorders. An
antisocial personality disorder involves a long-term disregard for
others, delinquent behavior, violence, aggression, and violation of
the rights of others. In other words, since bullies do not learn
appropriate social skills when they are young, they grow up to be
antisocial adults. They will have poor relationships with others,
including family members, friends, co-workers, etc.
Finally victims aren't the only ones who may become depressed,
think about suicide, or carry out suicide; in some cases, the same
can be true for bullies.
Witnesses
There are also consequences for children who are bystanders or
witnesses to bullying. They suffer from frustration, fear, low selfesteem, and a loss of control. They may also feel a huge sense of
guilt about the bullying they witness, especially if they do not
"S.A.V.E." the victim and the bullying continues. Sometimes their
guilt is too much for them to accept. In these cases, the witnesses

may go from empathizing with the victim to later thinking that the
bullying is acceptable. This is their way of preventing themselves
from feeling more guilt in the future; they will simply not even
recognize that someone is being hurt.
Witnesses also develop a lot of anxiety and stress. They worry that
they will also become a victim and therefore their feelings of safety
and security at school decrease. This leads to negative feelings
toward school, which can also contribute to problems with learning
and achievement.
After reading about the effects of bullying on bullies, victims, and
bystanders, do you think it makes sense to say, "Kids will be kids?"
We don't! We think that the research about the consequences of
bullying really shows that we must all do everything we can to
prevent childhood bullying. Be a H.E.R.O. in your school,
neighbourhood and community: Help Everyone Respect Others!

What You Can Do:

If your school does not have a bullying prevention program, you can
start one. Find some friends who are also interested in doing this,
and together you can meet with your teacher, counselor, Student
Council, or principal and ask them to help you create one.
In addition to asking these people to use some of the ideas in the
"What Schools Can Do About Bullying" report in this website, there
are lots of other fun things you can do in a school to reduce bullying
and promote tolerance. Although you need help from adults in order
to do most of these activities, there are also some things that you
can try to organize yourself or with a few of your friends.
Some of the ways that you can "take action" against bullying in your
school include:
Start a "Student Respect Group" or "Stop Bullying
Council" that can help carry out bullying programs in your
school.

Give teachers and administrators fact sheets from

the"Stop Bullying Now" campaign.
Read daily P.A. announcements about bullying. The
National Crime Prevention Council publishes a "Bullying
Tool Kit" with McGruff the Crime Dog and it has 3 weeks of
P.A. announcements that you can use.
Make a school "Problem Box" where kids can write down
bullying problems that have been happening, ideas they
have for combating bullying, etc.
Hold a school-wide poster contest or bookmark contest
about bullying.
Make badges, pins, or stickers that say that you won't
tolerate bullying. You can also purchase or make antibullying wristbands.
Show some of the P.S.A. announcements and Webisodes
about bullying from the "Stop Bullying Now" Campaign.
Have class meetings to discuss bullying incidents in the
classroom or around the school.
Ask your school's Parent/Teacher Organization to have a
meeting about bullying. You could also bring in a speaker
to give a presentation about bullying.
Give out "Act of Kindness" rewards to students who show
respectful behavior to others.
Organize a special week about bullying and tolerance.
During this week, you can do many fun and creative
things to increase the awareness of bullying and what to
do about it. Make up a catchy name for this week.
Write articles about bullying for your school newspaper or
newsletter.
Write bully-proofing messages with sidewalk chalk on your
school's playground.

Hold various all-school "Spirit Days," such as a "White Out

Day" when everyone wears white to stand for peace, or a
"Unity Day" when everyone wears the school's colors, etc.
Make a "Hands Around Violence" display where each
student and staff member makes a paper cut-out of their
hand. Write a positive message on the hand, such as ''I
will use my hands for helping, not hurting."
Have a school-wide bullying prevention carnival. Activities
could include decorating a t-shirt or hat with anti-bullying
messages, making beaded jewelry with positive
messages, having information booths, and playing games
and giving out prizes.
Create a graffiti mural with anti-bullying slogans.
Make a pledge wall where everyone signs their name,
promising not to bully others and to stand up when they
witness bullying.
Have older kids in the school present skits for younger
students about bullying. Younger kids look up to older kids
and can learn a lot from them.