BULLYING in school is mostly under-reported and can take many forms. Many children have their own experience of the realities of the school bully who uses strength or power to harm or intimidate those who are weaker. As we cannot always protect the young from individuals who prey on them, the best we can do is teach them skills such as speaking up, standing united and not going overboard themselves. It is sad but true that children from vulnerable backgrounds such as those with disabilities are more likely than others to be victims of abuse, which ranges from physical pain to mental torment. Fifty per cent of the 6,000 calls that Childline Malaysia receives each year from children are related to psychosocial mental health issues, including bullying. Many young people are not aware of their rights. Their world is home, school and friends, and they often keep their suffering to themselves because they fear reprisal.
Incidences of bullying in school, even when they do not involve physical violence, are just as harmful and, in certain cases, deadly. Foreign media reports inform us of student suicides attributed to bullying in school. One teen suicide death, due to bullying, is too many and schools, parents and every Malaysian must stay alert and vigilant to the effects of bullying and suicide. The advent of social media has intensified the intimidation and humiliation of bullying. Those who were bullied as students remember that the best strategy was to avoid the bully. That was how many who went to school before the age of the Internet and social media dealt with these delinquents. But, the world has changed for the young in the age of electronic communications. There are no alternative routes to take to stay out of the bully’s way. The cyberbully sends his victims threatening emails, say mean things, take pictures or videos of them and post them online via social media platforms. And, mental or physical damage has a way of sticking with us.
Unsurprisingly, many parents and school authorities are unprepared to deal with the situation. This makes it necessary for them to get together to explore ways to discourage all types of oppression and assist victims. They need training in responding to the issue, besides learning to spot victims who are scared to complain. The participation of parents is crucial in addressing the anguish of bullying behaviour. How many parents take the trouble to attend parent-teacher association meetings? They are doing a disservice to their children by ignoring their responsibilities. It is vital to encourage students to be part of the solution. While bullies may seem like fearless rebels, most are troubled, insecure and looking for acceptance. The last thing they want is to be on the outside. Parents of young tyrants can do their offspring a big favour by letting them know that they also think bullies are not cool.