Beating the bully culture

More and more school students report that they have personally experienced bullying or victimisation from peers. Statistics suggest the increase is ten fold what it was ten years ago, as CLAIRE MATHIESON reports.

From name-calling and teasing to threats, rumour spreading and damaging property, bullying is a reality in every school in the country. “Nearly everyone is bullied at some time of their lives by brothers and sisters, or by neighbours, or by children at school or even by adults,” said Catholic Education Institute (CIE) director, Mark Potterton.

“Bullying can really happen at any time, but it tends to happen in classrooms that are very full or on buses that are crammed. Children might feel hot and irritable on a very hot day or miserable because they can’t go out and play on a wet day.”

Mr Potterton, author of the book Beat Bullying: A Practical Guide for Schools, said bullies perceive themselves in a positive light and many have high status in the classroom and have many friends.

“Bullying involves more than just the bully and the victim. Bullying also involves bystanders.  These can be categorised as ‘bystanders’, ‘assistants to bullies’, ‘reinforcers’ or ‘defenders of victims’,” Mr Potterton explained. “Bystanders that come to the aid of victims are rare, and many bystanders believe victims bring problems upon themselves,” he said.

“Most incidents of bullying take place in front of other learners or bystanders, because bullies need an audience. The learners watching can encourage the bullying behaviour just by being there.”

Mr Potterton said schools should discourage learners from just watching or being bystanders.

Many academic studies have shown that both primary and high school learners are bullied, and that bullying is a worldwide problem which can adversely impact on school climates and have negative lifelong consequences for learners.

“There has been an extraordinary rise in interest in the subject of bullying in the last decade of the 20th century, and many researchers have tried to better understand this problem,” said Mr Potterton.

“Children who are bullied feel scared, vulnerable and very alone,” he said, adding that victims may feel rejected by peers and feel isolated, anxious and lonely. “The chronic victim can avoid attending school.”

Mr Potterton said bullying has three elements: A desire to hurt, a situation where the hurtful behaviour will favour the perpetrator and show an imbalance of power, and from the victim’s side a belief that the action is unjustified, typically repeated and experienced by the target as oppressive.

“Bullies are cunning and often do things so that they are not noticed,” he said.

Mr Potterton reminded learners that they have the right to be happy and safe at school. “You have a responsibility to show care and concern for others in your school. You can do something about bullying.”

And schools need to encourage learners to stand up to bullying as a group, or even on their own as long as it is safe to do so, and make it clear that bullying is not acceptable, he said.

“No one should be ridiculed, taunted or hurt. All incidents of bullying should be reported to adults,” Mr Potterton said, adding that schools should teach learners how to react in different situations through role plays, modelling and coaching.

Most bullying takes the form of name-calling. Being hit or threatened are the next most frequent form of bullying. Boys are more likely to be physically hurt and threatened than girls, whereas girls are more likely to experience indirect forms of bullying such as being ostracised or having rumours spread about them.

Mr Potterton said schools need to ensure that learners are safe at school. “Make sure that all areas of the school are properly supervised, create an atmosphere at school where learners feel free to talk about problems that they might have and finally, you need to do something about bullying at your school.”

Parents should also get involved. “You need to watch your child and make sure that he or she is happy at school, talk to your child about his or her experiences at school and get to know your child’s teacher and principal.”

Mr Potterton said if at any point in time a parent is concerned about their child’s safety at school, they should immediately make contact with the school.

“Bullying experiences increase the vulnerability of children and do not necessarily make them more resilient,” said the CIE director.

“There are more temporary than long-term victims of bullying. Personality traits like shyness do make students vulnerable, but transitional factors like school change or changes in physical development can also make students vulnerable.”

He said parents should be watchful of personality changes and take into account physical changes.

“Relational bullying, which includes attempts to damage the reputation of the victim, is higher among girls than boys in mid-childhood or early adolescence.  Relational victimisation tends to be equally prevalent for both genders in adolescence,” said Mr Potterton on things to look out for.

Young people themselves can also do something and parents should make their children aware of resources that are available to them.

From toll-free calls to Childline (0800 055 555) to the Internet, there is a wealth of information on bullying.

“The Internet allows young people to explore subjects that schools sometimes ignore or refuse to address. The Internet offers a place to ask personal questions without being embarrassed or ridiculed,” said Mr Potterton.

Victims should remember that they are not the only one to have faced the problem. Mr Potterton said many help lines do not even need to know your name. “If you are concerned, just dial the number and share your problem.” Help is available he said.

There are many websites that offer advice for victims of bullying, such as:

• www.lizettestoffberg.blogspot.com

• www.suite101.com/course.cfm/ 19244/lessons

• www.ceosyd.catholic.edu.au/News/ Pages/Bullying.aspx