Bullying a growing concern
The recent reports of bullying in the Western Cape and across the country have again put the spotlight on this scourge in our schools. Debbie Schäfer, Western Cape MEC for Education, is very concerned about bullying and school safety in general. “Respect for human dignity is one of the values enshrined in our constitution, and bullying is a denial of this,” she says.
Bullying behaviour is typically when a child or group of children misuse their power to hurt other children or exclude them.
It is important to remember that the bully often comes from a background where there is insecurity, little parental involvement, and inconsistency in actions of parents. These learners are often themselves subjected to physical punishment and emotional outbursts.
For formal counselling to be effective, the bully has to first come to the realisation that, unless they change their behaviour, there are always going to be negative consequences.
There are the “traditional” types of bullying, namely physical abuse, verbal or written abuse and social abuse. This is when learners gossip about each other, exclude each other from a group or reveal personal information about another learner with the goal of humiliating them. Bullying tactics have unfortunately developed with modern technology, and now includes cyber-bullying, where wilful, deliberate and repeated harm is inflicted by using computers, cellphones, and other electronic devices. Recent news reports have shown that cases of cyber-bullying can spread fast and become viral in a matter of hours.
In March the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) issued guidelines on social media and social networking in public schools, which all officials, principals, educators and SGBs are encouraged to study.
The guidelines can be found on the WCED website https:/wcedonline. westerncape.gov.za under “2017 Index of Circulars”, item 0011.
The WCED also has a Safe Schools hotline that is available to schools, teachers, parents and learners to report all school crime and abuse, and aims to contribute to a safe and crime-free school environment. Learners, parents and teachers may phone the Safe Schools
Call Centre for counselling and advice on 0800 45 46 47.
Children can also call Childline SA on 0800 055 555.