Many children have a good idea what bullying is because they see it every day. Bullying happens when someone hurts or scares another person on purpose and the person being bullied has a hard time defending themselves.
Bullying is wrong! It is a behaviour that makes the person being bullied feels afraid or uncomfortable. There are many ways that young people bully each other, even if they don't realize it at the time. Some of these include: punching, shoving, spreading bad rumours, keeping certain people out of a group, teasing people in a mean way and ganging up on others.
Bullying is a very serious issue, where some international research has shown that one in six students is bullied weekly, and one in four students are bullied at least once over a period of a few weeks.
The newest form of bullying is cyber bullying (via the internet or social media platforms), and this is presenting a whole new range of challenges.
Research shows that confident, happy, resilient children do better at school, and are more likely to develop positive relationships and pursue healthy lifestyles in the long-term.
President Samuel commends the efforts and initiatives of the organization Voices of Our Children (VOOC) where it concerns bullying. VOOC over the weekend held an anti-bullying march that brought together the community.
"Bullying can take place anywhere, on our playgrounds, on the bus ride to or from school or via social media networking sites.
"Bullying can increase anxiety, depression, and school avoidance. Parents and guardians must send a message to our children that bullying is wrong and it is not okay to be a bully. Zero tolerance is needed for bullying by parents and schools," President of Parliament Hon. Drs. Rodolphe Samuel said on Thursday.
