Nowadays, unfortunately, it’s not rare to hear that some children suffer from bullying at school. A survey conducted in 2018 by UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) showed that, around the world, one out of three teens with different social levels suffered from bullying at school.
What is bullying?
Bullying is a violent and repetitive act where the victim and the aggressor are children or young people of school age. The types of violence committed by the aggressors that can be considered bullying are diverse, such as verbal violence, where victims suffer from inappropriate nicknames, provocations, or threats against life. There are also acts of violence that involve physical aggression to the victims’ bodies, which can include kicks, slaps, punches, shoving, doing damage to belongings, among others. The final one is social violence, where victims are kept excluded from any group or have their reputations tarnished by the aggressors.
Bullying happens in places frequented by both victims and aggressors, such as parks, neighborhoods, the school bus, etc., but the most frequent place would be the school, as it would be where there are a greater number of students.
Signs of Bullying
Aggressors often target people who, physically or psychologically, do not fit into social standards that are considered normal by society. Such as people with different physiques, such as children who are very thin, overweight, or have very short or tall stature, or people with different economic situations.
Parents and education professionals must pay close attention to changes in the behavior of children or young people, as not everyone seeks help from people close to them. Often this happens because they are afraid that if they ask for help, there will be changes in the way of treatment by adults or other colleagues. After all, they think they are being bullied because they are weak people.
Parents or guardians must constantly be talking to young people, as this makes it easier to identify any signs that they are suffering or practicing bullying.
Victims of bullying may show signs of depression, bodily harm, constant loss of school belongings, a sudden drop in grade, or even self-harm.
It is possible to notice signs in children or young people who practice bullying too. Have aggressive attitudes, do not take responsibility for their actions, and often blame others, and there is no respect for other people.
Consequences of bullying
If not treated in the right way and with constant attention at home or at school, there is a great chance that children and young people who are victims of bullying will present, in their adulthood, side effects due to constant harassment. It is very common to identify cases of people with very low self-esteem, as it is in childhood that human beings develop their personality, and the psychological injuries suffered at that time end up generating other negative effects linked to depression, social isolation, aggressive actions, sometimes placing his own life is at risk.
Conclusion
No reason should manage any type of violence; however, often, the environment where the child was raised, with violent parents, or even the school they go to end up becoming a trigger for acts of aggression. Children who commit these acts of bullying often have the objective of proving themselves stronger and consequently more popular in front of their peers.
References
United States government n.d., What is bullying, stopbullying.gov, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, viewed 9 November 2021, https://www.stopbullying.gov/bullying/what-is-bullying.
United States government n.d., Warning signs for bullying, stopbullying.gov, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, viewed 9 November 2021, https://www.stopbullying.gov/bullying/warning-signs.
United States government n.d., Effects of bullying, stopbullying.gov, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, viewed 9 November 2021, .
