Bully trouble- Is your child at risk-Myths and Realities…(1)

The genesis of this topic is a very serious one yet widely misunderstood .Not acknowledging bullying,both real,virtual or any other form , in young and adolescent minds, taken for granted  as  part of growing up and excepting them for self help can leave permanent lifelong repercussions. It is estimated that 18-19 million kids are bullied in US every year where 3 million remain absent for fear of bullying in schools.

For many young individuals, bullying is the first kind of violence and ugliness experience in life. This is where we meet violence, whether we’re a victim, or a perpetrator, or a bystander, and face of that has lifelong repercussions. Things can really go out of hand when a bullied child gets no support from either school or home ,as parents are ignorant or in denial mode . The hardest part of being bullied is getting help, Everyone, including parents ,don’t take it seriously and would rather say “deal yourself”. This approach makes a child depressed ,with drawn , isolated  ,quiet and might clinch  extreme steps to harm oneself and even suicides .

Ragging , apparently a type of bullying, lately has been dealt with Iron hand in countries like India, where Judiciary and Legislature has taken a tough stand , the offence is non –bail bale and students are asked to file anti-ragging affidavits.  Where colleges and government have realized the potential harm ragging does , schools have been left in a denial mode  that bullying  exist . When I think about my yester years I can correlate that yes bullying does exist . Ask yourself  as a kid  were you bullied at some point of time or not. Haven’t you seen anyone bullying  –I need not answer this.

Verbal assault ,Isolation , malicious and venomous rumors  are very common these days ,social withdrawal and exclusion is the worst nightmare for a young adolescent’s and young adult’s life . They eventually become quite and withdrawn ,at times behave in a very veered and abnormal way.

Unlike physical abuse, verbal abuse and social exclusions are not taken seriously or rather I would say ignorance in adults of this serious yet highly denied issue .  “I felt that the hardest part of being bullied was getting help. People, including even my own father and mother, would say things like ‘get over it’,” said Lee Hirsch, the director of the critically acclaimed documentary Bully.

The seriousness of this problem can be judged , when young school kids committed series of suicides in a developed society like USA,forcing noted director ,who himself was victim of bullying ,come with a documentary on Bullying. He rightly says-“For many young people, bullying is the first form of violence and ugliness we experience in a real way in our lives,” says BULLY director Lee Hirsch.

"BULLY should remind all of us that bullying is a serious issue that impacts and involves us all. Educators and community members can turn to Facing History as a model of how to foster the skills and attitudes that make bullying much less likely to happen in schools.” – Dennis Barr, Facing History’s director of evaluation and manager of Bullying: A Case Study in Ostracism.

With both bullying and ragging being common in schools and colleges ,it is mostly seen as childhood malice . In addition to this cyber bullying-sexting,intimidation  and usage of modern age gadgets and social networking websites. It becomes a never ending vicious malice cycle which runs without adults. Popular social networking sites have made things worst and these portal are reported as dreaded platforms. A child becomes insomniac, depression ,low esteem, and weight gain, at times years after being abused. It leaves a devastating effects on one’s mental and physical health which is beyond repairs.

A study in British Medical Journal says Children bullied early are more likely to harm themselves – cutting ,biting  and rubbing of limbs, pulling clumps of hair, banging the head on wall or might attempt suicide. These children are reported to grow emotionally distressed and more likely to be failure in life.

Coming up next Signs and Symptoms of a bullied child-Myths and Realities.