Awareness about negative effects of bullying raised
DUBAI: The Community Development Authority, in cooperation with the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), and in celebration of World Children’s Day, successfully organized a virtual session for the National Bullying Prevention Programme. Representatives from Unicef and several educational institutions in the UAE and members of the community participated in the online event.
The online session aimed towards increasing awareness about the negative effects of bullying — looking to draw atention on the impact it has on today’s children and their various stages of growth. The meeting served as a strategic plaform to discuss and recommend solutions, adopt practices and identify common types and causes of bullying. Participants discussed the creation of sustainable behavioural treatment plans to protect victims of bullying and how to effect behavioral changes in bullies, transforming their aggression into a more friendly and peaceful atitude towards their peers.
The participants of the session gathered together online to learn more about various aspects of bullying such as the types of children who are most vulnerable to bullying; signs that indicate a child is being or has been bullied; the reasons that lead the bully to this behavior; and the impact of children’s bullying behavior on their surrounding environments. Participants also received comprehensive booklets that were created to help raise awareness on this issue and help in dealing with such incidents early on before it turns into a major problem that will affect the child.
Maitha Al Shamsi, CEO, Human Rights Sector- CDA, said, “Being bullied is one of the most serious and highly alarming topics concerning our children today. All of our children are exposed to it — in one way or another through some form of teasing or harassment from peers. Some children may not be seriously affected by it but there are cases where the impact on the victim is very serious that it has affected their personality, leaving them with an impact that will thoroughly affect their lives in the long term.”
“Today, as we join the whole world in celebration of International Children’s Day, which falls annually on November 20 of every year, we are raising awareness on the consequences of bullying, how to prevent it and how to show ways to encourage children to be mentally strong so that they are not easily affected by bullying. These aspects are important in a child’s upbringing. Also, treating the bullying behavior requires awareness and deep knowledge of the root causes and their impacts on the child’s personality, as no child is born a bully,” she added.