| Children from abusive homes can indeed go on to | | | | contempt or inferiorSTAT: According to Egan (2000), |
| bully--bullying is a sign of abuse--but not all abused | | | | 1 in 6 gay teens is beaten so badly during |
| children become bullies and not all bullies come from | | | | adolescence that he requires medical attention.- |
| abusive homes. There are other factors that can | | | | religious beliefs are considered deserving of contempt |
| determine whether or not a child will go on to bully:- | | | | or inferior |
| the child's temperament | | | | - a child who is bright, talented, gifted |
| - lack of supervision (NOTE: bullies require constant | | | | - a child who does not conform to what is |
| supervision) | | | | considered the "norm" |
| - the social climate at schoolOn average, children and | | | | - a child who is unusually fat, thin, short, tallSTAT: |
| youth spend about 6 hours a day in school. It is the | | | | According to Pepler & Craig (1997), young girls were |
| only place that children are brought together in large | | | | more afraid of becoming fat than they were of |
| numbers for extended periods of time on a regular | | | | nuclear war, cancer or losing their parents.- a child |
| basis. Within the society of school, children and youth | | | | who wears braces or glasses |
| try to fit in, often by joining in peer group circles and | | | | - has acne or any other visible skin condition |
| cliques. This society within a society makes schools | | | | - has a physical or developmental/mental disability |
| highly susceptible to bullying.According to the British | | | | - just being at the wrong place at the wrong |
| Columbia Ministry of Education (2000), most bullying | | | | timeANYONE can be a target for bullying; and boys |
| happens in or close to the school building. Some | | | | and girls are equally likely to be victims.There are |
| statistics reflect that more than 90% of bullying | | | | school administrators who believe that their school |
| occurs either in the school or on the school | | | | does not have a bullying problem. This is another |
| playground.Bullying and harassment have historically | | | | myth. ALL schools have bullying problems. Perhaps |
| and traditionally been considered rites of passage, | | | | liability issues enter into the mix, or perhaps they |
| something all children and youth must go through as | | | | really do believe the claim. The following statistics |
| part of the growing up process. This is a myth.In the | | | | dispell that claim:STAT: An international study done |
| past 20 years or so, bullying and harassment have | | | | for Health Canada in 1999 reflected that 56% of |
| received international attention, due in part to children | | | | boys and 40% of girls in grades 6 and 8 had bullied |
| and youth who commit suicide as a result of being a | | | | someone that year.STAT: In that same 1999 |
| victim of relentless bullying and their inability to cope. | | | | international study, 43% of boys and 35% of girls |
| There have been enough incidents' of children | | | | said they had been bullied in that |
| committing suicide because of incessant bullying that | | | | year.STAT:According to Pepler & Craig (2000), 71% |
| a phrase has been coined for it: bullycide.Canada, in | | | | of teachers said they usually intervene in bullying |
| fact, just the province of British Columbia, the | | | | episodes; 25% of students said teachers |
| province in which I reside, has its share of | | | | intervene.This last statistic tells us that teachers are |
| internationally-known bullying victims:November 2000, | | | | unaware of just how much bullying is going on in |
| in Mission, British Columbia: Dawn Marie Wesley, 14 | | | | schools. If teachers are unaware of the problem, |
| years old, hanged herself in her bedroom with her | | | | they are not in a position to intervene. Without |
| dog's leash. In her suicide note, she named 3 girls at | | | | intervention, bullies will not cease their violent |
| school who had tormented and threatened her.March | | | | behaviour. Left unchecked, as the bully gets older, |
| 2000, Surrey, British Columbia: Hamed Nastoh, 14 | | | | the bullying behaviour escalates to harassment.For |
| years old, leapt off the Patullo Bridge after he left a | | | | more on harassment, check out my article titled |
| 5-page suicide note that detailed the relentless | | | | Bullying vs. Harassment.To summarize, children from |
| bullying he endured.November 1997, Victoria, British | | | | abusive homes sometimes exhibit bullying behaviours. |
| Columbia: Rena Virk, 14 years old, was bullied, | | | | These children are either lashing out, or they are |
| attacked and beaten unconscious by 7 girls and 1 | | | | trying to gain control of the people around them |
| boy--all schoolmates--and then brutally murdered. | | | | because they have no control otherwise. But child |
| What was particularly startling in this case was the | | | | abuse is not the only governing factor here. A child's |
| fact that hundreds of students knew about the cruel | | | | disposition, a lack of supervision and guidance, and |
| and relentless taunting, and even of Rena's death | | | | the school environment also play a role.Yes, child |
| before someone finally reported her death to the | | | | abuse can lead to bullying, but bullying isn't always the |
| police.April 1997, Nanaimo, British Columbia: A grade-4 | | | | result of child abuse.RESOURCES: is a site that details |
| student pulled a knife on another student who was | | | | the four types of child abuse (emotional, physical, |
| taunting him. He'd been dealing with torment by his | | | | sexual, and neglect); signs, effects and statistics for |
| peers for over a year. After the knife incident, the | | | | each; sexual abuse victims, including victims with |
| boy and his family were ordered to take an anger | | | | disabilities; sex offenders, including female, child, |
| management course. The school took no immediate | | | | adolescent, and Internet offenders; laws governing |
| action with the children who bullied him.How prevalent | | | | child abuse; intervention; prevention; plus a forum to |
| is bullying and harassment in Canada?1 in 5 children is | | | | write your own child abuse story.RELATED PAGES |
| bullied; 1 in 12 youth are regularly harassed in school | | | | AND ARTICLES: titled: Bullying vs. HarassmentDarlene |
| by other students (Gladue, 1999).Risk factors for | | | | Barriere's On My Own Terms, A Memoir, a book |
| bullying:- submissiveness | | | | about surviving the effects of child abuse, is now |
| - shy, reserved, quiet, sensitive | | | | available for download in PDF e-book format at have |
| - the youngest or smallest | | | | permission to publish this article electronically or in |
| - a child unwilling to fight | | | | print, free of charge, as long as all bylines and live |
| - a child who wears clothes that are considered | | | | hyperlinks are included.- 30 -Darlene Barriere Copyright |
| unfashionable | | | | 2006Darlene Barriere is a certified violence and abuse |
| - a child who exhibits annoying behaviours | | | | prevention educator with the Canadian Red Cross. |
| - a child who expresses emotions quickly | | | | She conducts workshops with youth and adults on |
| - being the new kid on the block | | | | the subject of child abuse, bullying and harassment, |
| - a child who has been previously traumatized | | | | violence in sports, and relationship violence. She has |
| - being rich or poor | | | | written a book detailing how she overcame the |
| - a different ethnicity | | | | devastating effects of child abuse (for download site, |
| - gender/sexual orientation is seen as deserving of | | | | see under Related Pages). |