GEORGE NEWS - Bullying is on the increase and awareness of this phenomenon is steadily growing. Recent incidents of bullying have propelled the matter into the spotlight through traditional media and social media platforms.
According to Mosa Moremi, a child rights advocate at SOS Children's Villages, bullying is a form of violence that may cause irreparable harm to children if not dealt with effectively.
At its core, bullying is a psycho-sociological act that is not necessarily a dyadic (group of two) problem between the bully and the victim, but a group phenomenon that happens in a context of complex factors that promote and maintain it. Bullying can manifest in any social setting such as a family, a peer group or a community, and is normally a result of predisposing factors that are fueled by circumstances that encourage and maintain the act.
If a child is bullied at school, it normally happens in full view of other children who either encourage or discourage the act. The bully continues the violence outside the school as well as at home or the bully may even act differently in relation to other people.
This simplified example portrays different people playing different roles ranging from an observer or bystander through to the actual victim experiencing the bullying, both directly and indirectly, while others are perpetrators, in various settings and different points in time.
"Bullying can manifest as a physical act; a verbal act in the form of social gossip, name calling and threats; in addition to cyber bullying on social media platforms, chat programmes, SMSes and e-mails. All of these can be potentially devastating for the victim, causing physical and emotional harm to both the perpetrator and the victim and can even cost them their lives when bullying leads to depression and suicidal tendencies, especially among children and teens," said Moremi.
The circumstances that cultivate the playing field for bullying could originate at the family unit where a child is given wrong or no discipline, or could be the result of an authoritarian family member or an inadequate role model. It could also be as a result of peer norms that reinforce bullying, in addition to socio-cultural norms or political practices that encourage provocative behaviour, to name a few.
Moremi says children often fall victim to bullies, purely because they come from poor backgrounds and are stigmatised by others. "In public settings such as schools and churches, these children are habitually taunted and made to feel small, where the child eventually withdraws and isolates him or herself, which regularly leads to an escalation in bullying.
There are even instances where these children are bullied by teachers and other adults who tease them and call them names when they need special attention in class or otherwise, which can potentially destroy the victim's faith in those who should portray the role of a mentor or protector."
Western Cape EducationDepartment onbullying
The problem of bullying at schools is viewed in a very serious light by the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), says MEC for Education Debbie Schäfer.
"Parents are key to identifying behavioural changes in their children, which could be as a result of being bullied. I therefore appeal to parents to keep an eye on their child's behaviour. If your child seems withdrawn or angry, investigate the reason for these changes and speak to the class teacher immediately if the matter is school related," says Schäfer.
The department's website includes a popular section on discipline, including guidelines on how to deal with bulling. The guidelines cover types of bullying, the consequences of bullying, how to prevent bullying, support for the victim and how to change the behaviour of bullies. These guidelines can be found at www.westerncape.gov.za/general-publication/bullying-school.
Locally, Famsa can be contacted on 044 874 5811 or e-mail george@famsa.org.za.
Who is the bully and who is the victim?
Bullies may have behavioural problems such as delinquency, depression and anxiety. It is closely related to attention seeking syndrome with individuals who are emotionally unstable, who display acts of aggression, have no regard or respect for others and have often been bullied themselves.
Victims usually have physical attributes that distinguish them from others, are labelled as being different and are less popular. They are frequently rejected by peers, have low esteem, are lonely and withdrawn or come from poor socioeconomic and different cultural backgrounds.
Child rights organisations believe that all children are equal and they all have a right to a safe existence and protection from any form of harassment by others. These organisations appeal to everyone to join them and say:
Count me in as we prevent and fight bullying
I will not become an on-looker when other children are being bullied
I will stick up for others
I will be a role model on how to deal with conflict
I will partner with schools, parents, caregivers and others, working hard to stop bullying
ARTICLE: MYRON RABINOWITZ, GEORGE HERALD JOURNALIST
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