A number of school bullying cases are receiving national attention from bloggers and news media. One is about a father who confronted his disabled daughter’s bullies on the school bus. The online story and link for the school bus video is online. Several cases of apparent suicides after school bullying incidents have also made the news.
Some professionals feel that early bullying behavior can lead to abusive domestic violence behavior if left unchecked. Research surrounding sexual assault and domestic violence is alarming.
Consider these stats on school bullying for a moment. Each is linked to the source website.
- Juveniles are responsible for abusing 40% of the child sexual assault victims under age 6.
- 1:3 girls who have been in a serious relationship say they’ve been concerned about being physically hurt by their partner.
- 25% of teachers see nothing wrong with bullying or put downs.
Victims of school bullying are often given the same advice as are victims of domestic violence. They are often told things like:
- It doesn’t mean anything.
- The old erroneous childhood rhyme: “sticks and stones may break my bones but names can never hurt you.”
- Ignore the behavior and it will stop.
- The bully/abuser has a lot of stress going on at home/work.
According to the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services kids bully for a number of reasons. Two of the primary reasons are:
- Kids see others doing it.
- Because it gives them a sense of power over their victim.
School bullying is a problem that has to be taken seriously. These resources are an important part of dealing with school violence. (more…)
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