Page 15 - Cornwall Issue 4 2024

TODAY'S CHILD

Bullying is a pandemic. Bullies come in all shapes and sizes,

and sometimes the act of bullying is so subtle that it is

almost impossible for the victim to articulate or pinpoint. It

can be physical, psychological or emotional.

B Y N I C O L A K I L L O P S
Photos: Pexels: Mikhail Niliv

hat is bullying exactly? is disguised as horseplay and the victim is too
On the surface, it’s embarrassed to speak out, often chuckling along
about children having just to fit in.
disagreements or getting
into moods and taking Twenty years ago, if a child was being bullied at
this out on a vulnerable school, going home at the end of the school day was
Wchild. On a deeper level, a reprieve. But in today’s world, the bully follows the
it’s about a child showing a disturbingly mean child into the sanctity of their private space, thanks
streak and going all out to pick on one or more of to social media. Incidents of cyber bullying are on
his or her peers, and to then ostracise them by the rise, and unfortunately, legislation has lagged
teasing, mocking, humiliating, belittling or physically when it comes to seeking legal recourse.
attacking them.
Even with the introduction of the Cybercrimes Act
Why do some children bully others? – which aims to reduce and prevent cyber crime in
South Africa – it is difficult to avoid cyber bullying
Bullying is intentional, repetitive and the result of and to seek help.
an imbalance of power. Children who bully are often
deeply insecure and need to empower themselves CONSEQUENCES OF BULLYING
by weakening others. There are often issues at The effects of bullying on the victim’s emotional
home that leave the child desperate for attention, and mental health are far-reaching. Victims can
and they lash out elsewhere instead of at the root of lose their self-esteem and spiral into a state of
their emotional pain. depression and anxiety. This leads to further
consequences such as substance abuse, self-
Delving deeper, it’s often discovered that the bully mutilation, or even suicide.
is or was himself a victim of bullying at some point.
It’s a distorted way of paying it forward to regain self-
esteem.
ENSURING SAFETY AT SCHOOL
The Western Cape Education Department has
established a plan of action called the Safe Schools
Programme, which works with schools to ensure
Bullying rampant in South African schools with about
safe environments needed for successful
teaching and learning. According to a study
conducted by Safe Schools, bullying is

3.2 million children being bullied annually.
When surveyed, children defined bullying
as both verbal and physical abuse, and
more than 67% of children who had been
Behaviour good, or they feared that reporting it could
bullied did not seek help from an adult
because they didn’t believe it would do any
make the situation worse. In South Africa,
there is a lot of pressure on children and
adults not to be labelled a “snitch”, hence
the apathy shown by our society towards
whistle blowers.
Interestingly, only 4% of children surveyed said
that they knew someone who had been bullied.
This is because bullies can be subtle and often
ensure that their actions are not seen, or when
they are in public, their bullying behaviour

Cornwall View • Issue 4 2024 13