September 4, 2009
October 4th is Bullying Prevention Awareness Week
Wendy Tepfer Community Parent Center
Bullying is one of the most enduring problems in schools today across our country. It is defined as when someone purposely and repeatedly says or does mean, nasty or hurtful things to another person who has trouble defending himself or herself. Bullying is a reality in the lives of many children — whether they are bullies, victims or witnesses.
The week of Oct 4-10, 2009 marks the Fourth Annual National Bullying Prevention Awareness campaign sponsored by PACER (Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights). Communities across the country are encouraged to work together to increase awareness of the prevalence and impact of bullying on all children.
According to the National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center:
Almost 30% of youth in the USA in grades 6 through 10 are estimated to be involved in bullying as a bully, a target of bullying or both.
77% of students are bullied mentally, verbally and physically.
160,000 children nationwide stay home from school to avoid bullying.
Bullying is increasingly viewed as an important contributor to youth violence, including homicide and suicide.
Every day, children are teased, threatened or tormented by bullies. Children who are bullied may endure both physical and emotional scars. They may develop health issues such as headaches and stomachaches. They can become unhappy, anxious or insecure, and develop low self-esteem. As a result, they may become withdrawn and suffer from depression. They may be afraid to go to school, use the school restroom or ride the school bus; their schoolwork can be affected because they have trouble concentrating. Children should not have to endure these adverse experiences.
SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) offers this advice if you suspect your child is being bullied:
Do:
• Make sure your child knows being bullied is not his or her fault.
• Let your child know that he or she does not have to face being bullied alone.
• Discuss ways of responding to bullies.
• Teach your child to be assertive.
• Tell your child not to react, but to walk away and get help if pursued.
• Tell your child to report bullying immediately to a trusted adult.
• Contact the school/teacher.
Don’t:
• Ask children to solve a bullying problem between themselves — because of the differences in power, the child who has been bullied will suffer further. Bullying problems require adult intervention.
• Advise the bullied child to fight the bully — fighting is in violation of the school conduct code and the child might be seriously injured.
• Try to mediate a bullying situation. Bringing together children who are bullied and those who do the bullying, to “work out” the problems between them, generally is not a good idea. It may further victimize a child who is being bullied and it sends the wrong message to both parties.
• Blame either the victim or the bully. Instead, gather as much information as possible. Look at your own child’s behavior and style of interaction and consider how you might help him/her to handle these types of situations in the future. Contact the school for assistance.
Bullying should not be a fact of life. Children need and deserve a strong, loving relationship with a parent or other adult to feel safe and secure and to develop a sense of trust. Safe homes, schools and communities are everyone’s responsibility. Parents, children, schools and adults throughout each community must work together to create a climate that doesn’t accept or tolerate bullying. For more information about bullying, visit: www.samhsa.gov or www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov.
