Anti-Bullying Week Nov 15 – Nov 19 2021

Bullying is something that affects many children, teens and even adults – it’s a very serious issue and talking about it and raising awareness is so important. It’s also crucial for everyone to know what they should do if they witness or experience bullying.

What is bullying?

Bullying is any deliberate behaviour that is done to hurt or upset someone over an ongoing period of time. Bullying can be done by an individual or a group of people in many ways. This includes verbal bullying, whereby someone is hurt through vicious words, name-calling, or statements.

Physical bullying occurs when perpetrators physically cause harm to another person. As a result, bullies can exercise control over another and gain a sense of power. This type of bullying can vary from pushing and shoving to kicking, slapping, and punching. This makes it the easiest form of bullying to identify and confront.

In contrast, cyberbullying is one of the most challenging forms to see and prevent. When acting through the Internet, smartphones and social media, perpetrators can remain anonymous, whilst victims suffer in silence. Cyber-bullying has no fixed location, but instead could occur anywhere, from school property to a child’s home. In a world where social media and the use of smartphones is ever-increasing, cyberbullying deems particular importance for the protection and wellbeing of young children.

It's important for us to know what bullying is so we can identify it if we witness it. If you do witness bullying here’s what to do:

1. Talk with the person being bullied – ask if you can help e.g. by hanging out with them in class or between classes.
2. Don’t judge – the person who is being bullied may feel sensitive to the subject so listen and don’t judge.
3. Tell a trusted adult – this could be a parent/carer or a teacher.
4. Don’t repeat the rumours – bullies can sometimes spread rumours so to help the situation don’t spread them!
5. Educate – sometimes people don’t know they’re bullying especially kids! Its important to educate them and let them know they’re doing wrong.

Kindness has never been more important than right now. It’s a time where kindness can break down barriers and brighten the lives of those around us! Kindness costs nothing! Some people even take part in a random act of kindness to help brighten someone’s day as you never know what someone is going through.

Lets help make the world a kinder place for everyone!