‘Wilful, deliberate activity’
shapes and sizes.
As such a bully cannot be identified by their appearance but only by the way they act towards others.
Children who have been bullied previously are more susceptible to becoming further bullied. Victims often do not tell anyone that they are being bullied for various reasons.
The reasons include feeling ashamed; the belief that reporting the incident may make the situation worse; it is not “cool” to report on others or the belief that no one can help them.
The role of bystanders in incidents of bullying can vary from being passive onlookers to being active participants. There are specific reasons why bystanders opt not to get involved and assist victims.
Reasons for not getting involved include simply not knowing what’s going on; fear of making the situation worse; becoming the bullies’ new target or the belief that what they are witnessing is not their problem.
There are various forms of bullying, namely physical bullying, verbal bullying, relational bullying, sexual bullying, prejudicial bullying, and cyberbullying.
Examples of physical bullying include kicking, hitting, punching, pinching, slapping, shoving and other physical attacks.
Physical bullying is the easiest and most obvious form of bullying to identify. Verbal bullies use words, statements (taunting, belittling, cruel criticism, personal defamation, racial slurs, sexually suggestive or sexual abusive remarks) and name-calling to gain power and control over a target.
Relational bullying is the use of social manipulation to ostracise others from a group, spread rumours, manipulate situations and break learners’ confidence.
Sexual bullying includes sexual name-calling, crude comments, vulgar gestures, uninvited touching, sexual propositioning and pornographic materials.
Prejudicial bullying is based on prejudices toward people of different races, religions or sexual orientation.
Cyberbullies make use of technology to harass, threaten, embarrass or target another person. This form of bullying allows bullies to harass their targets with much less risk of being caught.
Cyberbullies often say things that they do not have the courage to say face-to-face because technology makes them feel anonymous, insulated and detached from the situation.
Examples include posting hurtful images, making online threats, and sending hurtful emails or texts. To the targets it feels never-ending as bullies can get to them any time and anywhere, often in the safety of their own home.
Parents must take note that by giving your child a cellphone you are placing the entire world (the good and the bad) at their fingertips.
It is imperative that as parents familiarise themselves with the various modes of social media. Furthermore, parents need to critically consider why their children would need access to the