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Jagpreet
26 August, 2024
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Youth violence, including bullying and other serious violent behaviours, has increased social and political attention over the past several decades. Although violent behaviour among youth in schools has declined over the past decade. However, the victimisation of children by other children in school settings still remains a major issue of concern.
The world’s leading organisations such as UNICEF and WHO, have taken up this issue as a priority and relentlessly working to abolish this through effective programmes, policies and advocacy efforts. According to UNICEF Reports, half of the world’s teens experience peer violence in and around school. For example, in Jamaica, bullying is a prevalent issue where 6 out of every 10 children experience bullying at school.
For any parent, watching his child being bullied mentally or physically every day is a heartbreaking experience. Some parents are unsure where to begin to protect their children from bullying. They think it is right to get in between kids. Can it be called bullying? How to deal with bullying? They often don’t know what steps to take to prevent bullying and thus in many cases, lose their child.
Lebanon, South Africa, Jamaica, Tanzania, and Senegal are recorded as the top 5 countries with the highest rates of child harassment and bullying in schools. This analysis attempts to examine the effect of school-based anti-bullying programmes. However, before that let’s address some vital questions like what is bullying? If one is not sure if his child is being bullied, then what signs must he look for? What is the first thing to do when a child faces bullying? How to prevent bullying? What to do if your child bullies others?
Let’s get clarity on all these questions…..
Bullying can be identified with 3 definite things involved – Intent, Power and Repetition. If a person intends to cause you pain either through physical harm or hurtful words and behaviours and does that repeatedly, you can call it bullying. In most cases, boys experience physical bullying and girls experience psychological bullying.
Remember, bullying is a behavioural pattern and not an isolated activity that happens once in a while. And moreover, there is a special trait to bullying. like children who bully, most of them come from an affluent family and have higher social status and a position of power; whereas the victims who are being bullied often come from marginalised communities and poor families, lacking power or social status.
Do you know what types of activities come in the conceptual framework of bullying and school violence? Well, let us highlight the kind of behaviours or activities that come under bullying.
Physical Violence: This includes physical attacks, physical fights, corporal punishment and destroying property
Psychological Violence: This includes verbal abuse, emotional abuse, ignoring, social exclusion, etc.
Sexual Violence: This includes sexual comments and jokes, gender-based discrimination, unwanted sexual touching, etc.
When you bully somebody online, it is called cyberbullying. Cyberbullying often happens through social media messages, text/SMS, instant messages, email, etc.
Heckling and mentally harassing on social media and online platforms are equally painful, just as physical bullying. Parents may not follow all the time what their children are doing on the internet, so it can be difficult for them to know that their child is being affected.
Harassment: Repeatedly sending offensive messages
Flamming: Inflammatory online arguments
Masquerading: Faking one’s identity and heckling on the internet
Dissing: Posting cruel information to damage someone’s reputation
Trolling: Provoking and upsetting people for reaction
Cyberstalking: Persistently threatening someone and intimidating them online
Keep an eye out for your kid’s emotional state. If he is depressed for a long time or suddenly starts to become extra private, it’s a sign of concern. Children might not all the time communicate verbally or express everything straightaway, so look out for the following signs to smell trouble.
Physical marks such as unexplained bruises, scratches, broken bones etc.
Fear of going to school, attending school events or going out for play.
Being anxious, panicky, nervous or very vigilant.
Losing friends and cutting off socially or avoiding social situations.
Clothing, electronics or other personal belongings are being destroyed.
Often asking for money.
Not sleeping well or often having nightmares.
Low academic performance.
Complaining of headaches, stomach ache or other physical ailment.
Becoming usually secretive when it comes to online activities.
Frequently becoming aggressive or having anger outbursts.
Regularly get depressed after spending time online.
Many times, children face bullying, and as parents, we feel helpless not knowing what should be our next step. In this anti-bullying guide, let’s highlight the activities that you should do if your child faces bullying.
If your child opens up to you for the first time, make sure you listen to your child calmly without judging them. Being aggressive can make your child further hesitant and fearful to share the truth of the incident.
Your child must realise that you are their safe place to open themselves up and share their pain.
Showing empathy is a must. When your child gets bullied and undergoes mental trauma, all that he seeks is to have someone who would be empathetic to them, understand their situation and give them some practical solutions to their problem.
You and your child do not have to face bullying alone. You can get help from the school authority or can speak personally to the teachers. Ask if the school has a bullying policy or a code of conduct. This applies to both physical and online bullying.
According to UNESCO reports, more than 32% of boys experience bullying in school, compared to 28% of girls.
If you feel that your child has become emotionally exhausted or has an unstable state of mind, you better visit a psychologist or therapist right away.
Don’t delay to get situations worsen further. Visiting a doctor would help the child to heal as well as gain strength to face the situation with courage.
If your child faces bullying, he needs a support system to feel safe, understood, and empowered to overcome the situation.
To stop the practice of bullying, many antibullying programmes in schools have been initiated by the International Bullying Prevention Association (IBPA). Some of the notable anti-bullying programmes in schools are discussed below.
KiVa is a research-based anti-bullying programme, implemented nationwide in Finland. KiVa comes from the Finnish words “Kiusaamista vastaan” which means “against bullying”. KiVa has units targeting students 6-9 years old, 10-12 years old, and 13-16 years old. The programme includes role-playing exercises, and online games and instructions to help students think about how they intervene to reduce bullying. KiVa also provides materials for teachers, students and parents. KiVa is on the list of Promising programmes at the Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development and the University of Colorado, Boulder.
The OBPP is a multi-faceted programme designed to reduce and prevent bullying in elementary, middle, and high schools. This approach has components working at different levels namely school, classroom, individual, and community levels.
The schoolwide component includes an assessment of the nature and prevalence of bullying, assuring adequate adult supervision where adults are trained about how to come in contact with students.
The classroom component includes an emphasis on defining and enforcing anti-bullying rules. It includes activities like class discussions that promote a norm of kindness and highlight anti-bullying values.
And the individual component teaches how adults can intervene appropriately when they see bullying or when something similar is reported to them. The OBPP has been implemented in thousands of schools in the United States and also more than a dozen countries around the world. For more information.
The Committee for Children is a comprehensive approach that has been framed after decades of research and experience. It promotes social-emotional learning (SML) and bullying prevention. From kindergarten to 5th-grade students, the Second-Step anti-bullying programme teaches students how to recognise, report, and refuse bullying using their social-emotional skills.
It also teaches teachers and other school staff how to intervene properly.
This programme also encourages families to engage in the efforts as well.
This curriculum of the programme is kept engaging and interactive so that it easily catches attention and delivers meaningful messages in the simplest of words. As a bullying prevention unit, it is ensured that students, teachers and parents understand the essence of the programme through skill and literature-based lessons. For more information.
Anti-bullying programme “Friends” originated in Sweden in 1997. In 2014 they branched out to open an office in Colorado and started assisting schools and sports clubs in that state.
Unlike KiVa, Friends follows a system-wide approach, providing knowledge about why and how bullying occurs in order to prevent it. The annual curriculum is determined by the survey reports that provide data for ongoing implementation.
They use data from the survey to personalise the training they offer to schools and sports clubs every year.
For more information:
https://friendscolorado.org/what-we-do/how-we-work/
Anti-bullying initiatives taken across the world have successfully fathomed the challenges of social norms, cultural differences, and diverse school environments to create a safer and more inclusive educational setting.
More Evident-Based Results: According to NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) reports in the 2021-22 school year, 15% of secondary schools reported bullying incidents on campus at least once a week, compared to 28% of middle school and 10% of elementary schools.
Programmes like KiVa in Finland and Friends in Sweden have significantly reduced bullying incidents in schools through activities, constant monitoring and feedback loops.
Schools Have Been a Safe and Secure Place for Students: Schools implementing the Olweus Bullying Prevention Programme (OBPP) have reported that it has reduced bullying incidents and positively changed the school environment, making it a suitable place for holistic learning and healthy growth.
Anti-Bullying Education and Training: Programmes such as Second Step teach students to recognise and report bullying. It also increases awareness among people to take the necessary actions as and when needed.
Additionally, these programmes also encourage the victims to take the necessary action as and when needed.
Empowerment of Students: According to reports, 72% of young people who have experienced bullying behaviour reported it, while 28% never told anybody. However, this scenario is changing with the implementation of anti-bullying programmes.
The anti-bullying programmes have encouraged the victims to take a stand and speak for themselves. Most victims have come out of gear and shame to deal with such matters with strength and conformity.
Targeted Interventions By Parents, Teachers and School Authority: These programmes include specific support mechanisms for victims of bullying, understanding the gravity of the situation and offering them the necessary resources to cope and recover.
Mental Health Benefits:
Victims of bullying in schools with effective anti-bullying programmes have reported better mental health due to the assistance and support they receive from their teachers, parents and staff.
Behavioural Changes: Initiatives like “Friendly Schools” in Australia and “Friends” in Sweden have led to positive behavioural changes among students. This has promoted empathy, kindness and respect towards each other in the institution.
Peer Support Systems: Anti-bullying programmes include peer mentoring and support systems. This set a code of conduct for everyone in the institution and reinforced positive behaviour among students.
Encourages a Holistic Approach Towards Learning: Effective anti-bullying programmes
Parental Training: Programmes provide resources and training for parents to help them understand and address bullying, fostering a cooperative effort to combat the issue (IBPA).
Ongoing Assessment to Understand its Cascading Impact at Multi-Levels: Programmes like KiVa and OBPP use ongoing assessments to ensure that all the guidelines are followed and implemented.
This measures whether all the efforts are directed properly towards the aim and showing visible results in reality.
Adaptability: The anti-bullying programmes are adaptable where it is constantly improved based on feedback. This changes school dynamics and helps in maintaining the impact of the programme over time.
Bullying is considered an anti-social behaviour, and it has serious consequences when left unnoticed, impacting both mental health and academic performance. Do you know one-third of youth globally experience bullying in school ? Generally, low socio-economic status is the main predictor of young teens in schools and other academic institutions.
However, with time it has become a priority to implement anti-bullying programmes, addressing the root causes of bullying and creating a supportive school environment. Different anti-bullying programmes with comprehensive and evidence-based approaches are effectively implemented in schools all over the world to create a safer environment, promote positive behaviour, and support victims of bullying.
Educational institutes should be a safe place for students irrespective of their culture, gender, caste, age and economic background. Thus, the fight against bullying is ongoing and will be continued until it is completely wiped out from educational environments.
According to a study report by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), KiVa is one of the world’s most effective anti-bullying programmes.
A whole school approach to anti-bullying is a collaborative and cohesive initiative taken by the school community where the programme is strategically designed with school leadership to effectively address bullying and reduce it substantially.
Writing an anti-bullying policy involves a few steps such as
Step1: Define bullying
Step 2: Write the root causes of bullying to educate students
Step 3: Provide specifics about your school around the already existing state/national laws
Step 4: Inform how students should identify a bully and how they should report bullying
Step 5: Decide how the investigation for bullying would look
Step 6: Specify disciplinary actions against bullying
Step 7: Provide support for bullying victims
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