Putting an End to Bullying

Yesterday, the heartbreaking news of Rodaina, a 16-year-old student who died of a heart attack as a result of bullying, stirred social media with agony. This tragic incident is a heartbreaking wake-up call for every parent to keep raising their children’s awareness of the horrible consequences of bullying. In fact, it is not the parent’s responsibility alone, but rather that of schools, media, and everyone who has an influence, to take part in putting an end to this brutal behavior.

 

Bullying comes in different forms:

1. Physical bullying: It is the most obvious form of bullying. It includes slapping, hitting, punching, pushing, kicking, or any other form of physical violence.

2. Verbal bullying: It involves name-calling and offensive language to inflict pain and hurt on the victim. 

3. Sexual bullying: Girls are usually the target of such a type of bullying which includes shaming with name-calling and sexual language, making insulting comments about their appearance, vulgar gestures, and uninvited touching.

4. Cyberbullying. It is the most common type of bullying in today’s generation. Cyberbullying includes posting shameful comments, making online threats, blackmailing, and sharing hurtful or embarrassing images.

5. Emotional bullying: This can be among the hardest to identify. It involves emotional abuse where the victim feels excluded, ignored, and ganged up against. An emotional bully would spread lies about the victim, sharing secrets told in confidence, and public humiliation and embarrassment.

6. Prejudicial bullying: It involves bullying someone for their race, religion, or gender. Prejudicial bullying is not separated from other types of bullying such as verbal, physical, or cyber.

 

What to do if your child is bullied?

• Educate them about bullying and its different types. For your kid to identify bullying if they face it, you need to elaborate more on its different forms and when a certain behavior raises a flag.

• Open a communicative channel with your child. Befriend your children and make them feel comfortable about sharing anything that happens to them. Avoid any accusative behavior with your child with statements such as ‘you must have done something wrong and that was their reaction’.

• Build your child’s confidence. A confident child is more safeguarded against bullying. Enroll your child in activities that boost their confidence and constantly empower them in your conversations together.

• Teach them to stand up for themselves. Your kid should know that they have the agency to stand against bullying. Instruct them to report any incident as soon as it happens, and as a parent, you should have their back and take serious action.

 

What to do if your child is the bully?

• Address the bullying and take it seriously. If you notice aggressive behavior from your child or have witnessed a situation where he bullied another child, don’t consider it as a phase that will pass. Also, you need to address the root cause behind this behavior.

• Teach them empathy. Teach your kids to stand up for bullied children instead of being one. You also need to set a good example for them and be a role model. Talk to them about kindness and how they should respect others despite any differences in race, religion, appearance, and special needs.

• Talk to them about the consequences of bullying. Narrate real stories about victims of bullying and the pain they go through. Teach them how bullying can be a trauma that humans carry throughout their lives.

• Teach them that bullying doesn’t make them superior. Some kids think that bullying makes them stronger, superior, or more in control. Explain to the how bullying is a cowardly behavior that no strong person exhibits.