By Life and Health/HITN
Aug 25, 2023, 09:34 AM EDT
Bullying -or bullying- is any form of violence exerted by two students in the school context, either: physical, psychological or through new technologies, such as social networks.
A recent study, published by UNESCO, warns that one in three schoolchildren suffer bullying or school violence in the world. The context is fundamental in bullying: if it is violent, violent attitudes and behaviors are favored.
“On many occasions, bullying is denied, even if it occurs between classmates, because it has happened outside of school, or on social networks. The problem is that, if nothing is done, it increases and worsens. It does not resolve itself, as happens with any type of violence, be it at school, in the workplace, within the family or gender. And the victim suffers in silence”, warns Miguel del Nogal, a psychologist from the Spanish Association for the Prevention of School Bullying (AEPAE).
Bullying prevention has improved in recent years. Now, there are protocols in many schools and educational centers, in many cases by law. But, as the expert points out, “now there is more sensitivity; Another thing is that these protocols can be carried out because they are not very specific”.
How to detect if our children are being bullied?
If it occurs:
- a change in behavior of the child
- a process of isolation (he used to talk and now he has stopped talking)
- changes in the way of dressing
- worst school grades
- does not want to go to school or does not go
- has nightmares
- he wets the bed
“Many cases are reported at the end of the course, despite the fact that the harassment situation has occurred throughout the year. For this reason, it is very important to observe if these first changes in behavior occur at the beginning of the course”, stresses del Nogal.
What to do when we are going to report bullying?
“It must go from less to more: the ideal is to talk to our son’s teacher or tutor and ask him what is happening. Days later, we will ask again what changes have occurred. If nothing changes, we will request another meeting with the guardian to which both parents must attend. If, once again, the situation remains the same, we will ask to speak with a person in charge, such as the head of studies or the director of the school, to gather more information and find out what is being done and what is going to be done with both our son and the aggressor. or aggressors: the victim must be provided with assertive, coping and communication skills, so that they do not revictimize themselves and increase their hopelessness because they do not see changes. And, to the aggressors, the skills to resolve conflicts peacefully, that they have an alternative, ”he sums up.
What if none of this works?
The expert then recommends initiating legal measures, with complaints. Generally, they are not implemented to try to preserve the anonymity of children. For this reason, bullying is an underestimated problem, since many more cases occur than are reported.
The last step, from his point of view, is to go to the media to denounce it.
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