Bullying is common in many countries and Singapore is no exception. Tinkle Friend, a helpline for primary school kids run by the Singapore Children’s society, received calls from 140 children last year complaining that they have been bullied.
A survey by the Coalition Against Bullying fro Children and Youth (CABCY) showed that one in 18 had experienced cyberbullying.
Why Bullying Exist
1. Anti-bullying policies are not enforced.
2. Children are not supervised
3. There are no consequence for bad behaviour
4. There are no deterrent
5. Authorities cover up to protect their reputation
6. Bystanders dare not make a stand or does not intervene.
7. Adults ignore bullying as they are desensitised to such behaviour.
8. Bullying is disguised as teasing
9. School fear to incur the fury of the bully and the bully’s parents
10. People accept it as their culture
Bullying is a reoccurring problem in today’s schools where the safety of children is unfortunately tested. It is a very serious issue that may lead some individuals toward low self-esteem and depression, as well as eventual suicide. Both of my parents taught me to have respect and show kindness toward everyone. I have always been told to treat others the way I would like to be treated. Therefore, I have never bullied another person in school, because I feel one should not put down another because they are different. In elementary and middle school, I witnessed my classmates bullying others. When I was younger, I would immediately go tell a teacher or another authority figure what was occurring so it could be stopped. However, today in most high schools, “tattle-telling” isn’t always the best solution. Most teenagers today are faced with obstacles of gaining acceptance from their peers, who are sometimes very unforgiving. To help individuals who are being subjected to spiteful and cruel treatment, schools should adopt a zero tolerance policy against bullying, and have an environment where all students feel welcomed, not fearful to come to.
- Darice Chavira, Smithson Valley High School
Credit: http://www.mysanantonio.com/life/article/Teen-Team-Teens-talk-about-bullying-911406.php#page-5
Last year, a boy on my bus was a little larger than average, and some of the older boys began to chuck bits of paper and broken erasers at the back of his head, insulting him and making crude jokes about his mother. By the color of his ears and neck and the look in his eyes, you could see he was humiliated, angry and frightened. What did these people have against him? Why wasn’t the bus driver intervening?
I remained silent, willing someone else to speak up in his defense. I certainly didn’t want to; the ringleaders of the taunting were cruel and insensitive, and I didn’t want to become a target of their pernicious remarks by speaking up to defend a boy I didn’t even know. A mix of emotions surged up inside me: shame toward myself for doing nothing, anger toward the bullies and sadness at the capacity of spite and malice I perceived in the bullies.
I wish I could go back and change the passiveness of the bus driver, the silence of other riders and my own taciturnity. Everyone has a right to happiness, and when others attempt to deprive them of that right, someone should step in and raise their voice.
- Alison Tsai, freshman, Johnson High School
Credit: http://www.mysanantonio.com/life/article/Teen-Team-Teens-talk-about-bullying-911406.php
A string of students abused against teachers have been making headlines in South Korea.
A video clip on YouTube shows middle school students making fun of their female teacher by passing sexually harassing remarks on her in class. Four male and female students jeer at the teacher, asking questions such as “When was your first kiss and first period?” and “You lost your virginity when you were a high school student, right?|
As the teacher approaches the students to scold them, they continue to tease here while laughing, and one student comments: “You are more beautiful now that see you closely.”
The teachers are calling for a stop to moves to abolish corporal punishment in schools. They are asking for protection laws for teachers’ rights.
Thuggist students in a secondary school in northern Taiwan were making death threats against the teachers. When a teacher stepped in to try to stop a fight between two parties, the male student railed at him, saying “I will bring a gun to kill all of you!”
The teachers accused the principal of doing nothing to safeguard their safety as well as that of innocent students against roguish students who had threatened to kill them with guns. When the gun threats were brought to the attention of the police, they were indifferent. It cause the teachers to suspect there was collusion to cover up the case to protect the reputation of the school principal.
64 teachers petition and as a result the principal was sacked.
The moral of the story: Do not allow the thugs to overrun the school. Together you can do something even if the principal and the police are not helpful.
When I read this news today, I cannot believe it is happening in a modern country where educationalists are supposed to have the brains to discern what is right and wrong when it comes to dealing with bullies.
After reading this story, I was wrong to assume that school authorities know how to deal with bullying problems.
Alexander wrote to the newspaper. He is the parent of a son who was bullied and beaten by a few student. He reported the matter to his school principal and the police. The school authorities told the police they would handle the matter and so the police dropped their investigation.
The school did handle the matter – by caning both the bully and his son, the latter for retaliating by pushing the bully back when he was attacked.
The whole incident sent a clear message: Do not bring up such an issue.
Readers, don’t you think what the school did was outrageous?
Logan Lee, a martial art school owner, offers an insight into tackling bullying problem.
“For the most part, if there is a bully issue, it’s more of a behavioral issue,” Lee said. “That bully has picked out this particular child for a reason. If we can find out what that reason is, then we can work on that. They (bullies) are looking for a weakness and for some reason that bully has seen a particular weakness in this child. If we can figure out what that weakness is, then we can work on ways to counter that weakness.”
Learning martial art is an effective way to build self-confidence and self-esteem in the victim.
There is no one-size advice or solution.
“There are some bullies that if you stand up to them, they’ll leave you alone. There are some bullies that if you stand up to them, they’ll hit you in the face,” Lee said.
Anderson said she tries to teach her younger students to not be “an easy target” for a bully. She said she advises students to walk with more confidence and make eye contact with the bully instead of avoiding them entirely.
bullying is a form of torture and is a violation of Human Right. Eight out of 10 children in India have been through negative online experiences that include cyber-bullying or online harassment, and only 50 percent of the parents know what their children go through, according to a recent survey in India.
A study commissioned by the UK’s fastest growing HR consultancy has revealed that 21% of Brits feel ‘bullied’ by their boss at work, whilst a further 28% feel picked on by a peer at work. However, only 8% admitted to reporting the incidents.
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