We live in a world where bullying has become something normal, “a habitual action” and yet no one can stop it. A study showed that in 2018, Russia was the European country where the most kids were bullied in school (38%), the ranking continuing with Latvia (35%) and Romania (34%). This means 38 kids from 100 were harassed. Scary, right?
To begin with, what does bullying mean? According to experts, bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Both kids who are bullied and who bully others may have serious, lasting problems. Furthermore, why does it appear? Well… this is a question no one can answer. There are, however, more factors that can lead to these awful actions: not given enough attention, feeling envious and jealous of the kid who is going to be bullied, family problems, social affirmation, or simply… just fun. Bullying can take more forms so don’t fall for the classic “response”: this is not bullying. It can be: verbal (teasing, name-calling, taunting, threatening), social (be left out on purpose, spreading rumors, embarrassing someone in public), and physical bullying- the one that happens the most- (hitting, kicking, pushing, taking/breaking someone’s things, making mean or rude hand gestures).
Moving on with the next point, what to do if I am bullied or I see someone who is being bullied? Personally speaking, this coming from someone who was bullied a lot in the past, don’t get mad; look at them and politely ask them to stop. It probably won’t work, but what is important, don’t get aggressive. If they continue to bother you, I want you to ask for help, either talk to a teacher about it or if you don’t feel comfortable, talk to a parent. If you won’t do anything about it, they will harass you all over again. It will become a habitual action and they will see you as an easy target. You need to let someone know about what’s happening. And I know what’s going through your mind right now: they are going to make fun of me and continue to do it. The answer is no, they won’t. They probably accomplished their purpose, whatever it was. And if they continue, you need to tell someone again. And this happens until they stop; because you are worth so much more and don’t doubt yourself just because of them. They will say things that are going to hurt, they will start talking about your weakest point but don’t let it get to you; all they want is just a reaction, they are waiting for you to get mad and yell, so they can use it against you after that. What is more, if you see someone who is getting bullied, try and don’t intervene as much as possible, just get help as soon as possible. This way, you are sure it is going to stop and you are not putting yourself in danger. You have to think fast but don’t put too much pressure on yourself, you got this. Just think about it like this: you saved someone from bullying and probably a lot of others who would have been bullied by that person. No matter what happens, just talk to someone. It is a lot to take in and a good idea would be to express your feelings, open up, and don’t bottle your emotions in. Your feelings are valid and you are valid, special, and amazing.
To conclude, bullying is tough; but don’t let it define you, in case you went through it. It may be traumatizing but if it ever happened to you, I am proud of you for fighting for your rights and I am sorry it happened. Remember: it gets better in the end, and don’t let them take you down… ever.
Resources:
-https://www.stopbullying.gov/bullying/what-is-bullying
-https://www.statista.com/statistics/1092217/bullying-in-europe/
Editor- Melissa Parv
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