Nearly
everyone has been bullied at some point in their lives, especially during their
school years. Most have experienced it occasionally and for only a short while.
But what if a child is subject to daily bullying, lasting weeks, sometimes
months and even years?
The
consequences of long-term bullying, for children and teens, can be devastating.
Younger children express the daily anxiety as stomach aches, headaches, sleep
disturbances, withdrawal and nightmares. For the especially vulnerable,
bullying can result in dropping out of school, self-harm, panic attacks,
depression, and violent behavior.
At
least one in three adolescent students in Canada have reported being bullied,
while 47% of Canadian parents have reported their child being a victim of
bullying. Studies suggest that roughly 6% of
students aged 12 to 19 bullying others on a weekly basis while 8% are
victims of weekly bullying.
Children get bullied in several ways. The most common is
verbal bullying, which include racial slurs, unwanted sexual comments and
threatening words. Another is social bullying, which includes mobbing, public
humiliation and graffiti. Cyber bullying, the use of the internet, smartphone
and other devices to intimidate, harass and spread rumors or explicit images, is
a fairly recent phenomenon. Finally, physical bullying, the hitting, poking,
stealing possessions and unwanted sexual touching, has been around since time
immemorial.
The sex of the victim plays a role in the type of bullying.
Girls are more likely to be subjected to cyber and social bullying than boys,
while non-cisgender children are three times more likely to be victimized.
What
about the bully? In many instances, bullies are also victims—of violence in their
homes, dysfunctional family situations and of unhealthy power relationships in
their lives. Studies show that 40 percent of bullying boys engage in delinquent
behavior as compared to 5 percent of those who don’t. Many grow up to be
troubled adults, displaying psychological problems, aggressive tendencies and
adult depression. The prevention of bullying in children and youth is an
important factor in reducing future possible criminal behavior.
Much can be done to counter this problem. Among the most
effective are in-school programs, which provide comprehensive, school-wide
models that seek to track, prevent and alter both the environmental factors and
the victimization of students. Students can be taught some simple steps to
protect themselves, such as walking away, asking for help and staying in
groups. Programs, such as BullyingCanada.ca offer free hot-line services and
counselling to both students and parents.
