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PREVENT BULLYING

by Jamie Littlefield – Senior Editor, Children's Issues
bullying

Bullying can bring fear and hopelessness into the life of an innocent child. Sadly, many caregivers and bystanders don't act when they see a child getting bullied on the playground or in their neighborhood. Such inaction can mean misery for children who are subjected to bullying on a regular basis. Years after the bullying has come to an end, people who were bullied as teenagers have poorer self-esteem and higher levels of depression than other adults.

Imagine working in an office where bullying is tolerated. A co-worker who is stronger than you may distract you from your job, spread vicious rumors about you, take your possessions, threaten you, or openly mock you with the intention of causing you pain. When you explain the abuse to your boss, the response is clear: "You need to stop complaining and work this out together." You are punished for being a "tattletale." Most adults wouldn't put up with this sort of treatment at work, yet victimized children are commonly expected to confront their abusers on their own and with no way to defend themselves.

In learning how to communicate with each other, it's natural for children to argue among friends, experience anger or frustration, and "play fight." But, bullying is different. A bully harasses and degrades a victim for the sole purpose of causing pain. Constant name calling, threats, physical abuse, and gossip can leave a child seriously hurt and depressed. In a national survey, one in sixteen students said they were bullied during a single school term. That means, statistically speaking, there is at least one scared, bullied child in every single classroom. These victimized children don't have the power to stop the bullying. They need your help.

In just fifteen minutes you can help stop bullying in your community by learning how to recognize bullying, educating others, and intervening to stop children from being harmed by bullies.

  • Learn how to recognize bullying: Educate yourself on how to recognize the signs of bullying and what you can do to prevent kids from being bullied. Learn to tell the difference between bullying and harmless childhood play.
  • Help educate others: Spread the word by talking to the people in your community who have the power to put an end to bullying. Here are a few groups you may want to visit or call:
  • Your family: If you have kids, teach them that bullying is wrong. Print out the following brochures that let them know what they should do if they are being bullied or if they see someone else being bullied. Let them know that they can always come to you for help.
  • Your friends and neighbors: Take a few minutes to share this bullying information with people in your neighborhood. There are several ways that people who work with children outside of school or any adult can help put an end to bullying.
  • Your local schools: Stop Bullying Now has a wealth of free anti-bullying material aimed at helping teachers, school administrators, and students recognize and prevent school bullying. Print some of the school bullying articles and give them to your local school district or email officials the link. You may also want to suggest that school children take the Anti-bullying Pledge from Bullying.org and that schools institute an anonymous bully reporting program such as Bully Stoppers.
  • Stop bullying when you see it: By now, you know what to do. The next time you see an innocent child being victimized by a bully, don't let the abuse continue. Your actions to stop bullying will help victimized children have hope again and will pave the way for others to stop letting senseless bullying harm young lives.