Bullying

Bullying is something that happens all over the globe. Every minute and second of every day, there will be someone who is in need of help and assistance… “have you ever been a victim of bullying? It’s not the best feeling is it? It makes you feel insecure, humiliated and very uncomfortable. It has the power to destroy lives, mentally and physically. This contributes, not only to the victims but the bullies themselves. Victims are not the problem, the bullies are. So why do bullies bully? Well, let’s first establish the definition of bullying.

Bullying is classified as a form of abuse. It comprises of repeated acts of overruled power upon another individual. When we think of bullying we tend to think of physical violence and outward taunting but it’s not. There’s more to it. There are four types of bullying: Physical (hitting, kicking, taking things or returning things damaged), verbal (name-calling, taunting, insulting), or social (lying, shunning, spreading nasty rumours), psychological (Intimidating someone, manipulating people and stalking a person).

It is deliberate and hurtful behaviour and usually repeated over a period of time. According to the ‘National Centre against Bullying,’ 60% of young people aged 13 to 16 who bully have at least one criminal conviction by the age of 24. It is also estimated that over 43% of children have considered suicide and one in six children under the age of 11 have attempted suicide. So why do bullies bully? Why does it happen? Do they think they’re ‘cool’? Is it all about power and control?

Of course, bullies tend to target people because of a perceived difference, including culture, sexuality, physical or mental ability or disability, religion, body size, physical appearance etc. They like the feeling to being powerful and in control. Have you ever been called “ugly”? Have you ever been called “Fat”? Everyone in this room has probably been bullied at least once in their life. Bullying behaviour is no longer confined to the school room, or playground but throughout adulthood as well. Bullying behaviour can be Right now, there is a young boy somewhere in the world who has recently been held up to a brick wall, been punched in the stomach several times, had his lunch money taken off him and has been thrown into the dirt face first. The question is, why? communicated via text, mobile phones, internet, social networking sites, forums and so on. Bullying is a serious problem in our society today.