NPO tackles bullying with roadside campaign

OCTOBER was the month of awareness about bullying, a serious subject which one Queensburgh parent and activist has taken on with the determination of a general preparing for war.  Vicky Prithraj, runs a non-profit organisation (NPO) called the Funda Zophila Foundation.

Prithraj, along with other Queensburgh parents and businesses, including the likes of Malvern SAPS and its CPF, are working on an awareness-raising campaign which recently led to two placard demonstrations in the streets of the Queensburgh and Malvern areas towards the end of the month.

ALSO READ: Queensburgh pupil survives vicious bullying attack

Prithraj, whose passion for his work to end bullying in his community is evident whenever he begins speaking about the topic, said he feels a new approach is needed to fight against this social ill.
“Many adults feel that bullying that takes place at schools is a ‘child thing’ and it is part of growing up,” he explained. However he said his opinion is that the cycle of abuse that bullying is part of should rather be seen as everyone’s problem.

“We at Funda Zophila Foundation believe the more the parents are involved and gain an understanding of what bullying and abuse really is, the more it will help them to speak to their kids regularly on the issues of bullying and abuse and will not just brush it off when a child is trying to tell them something.”

“We also want parents to unite against this phenomenon,” he said explaining that often parents tend to feel that if their child isn’t being targetted then they don’t’ need to worry about it.  “Parents need to forget this phrase: “if it is not my child who has being bullied or abused …who cares,” he said adding that the other phrase he hears all too often is this: “Thank god it was not my child that was bullied or abused!”

“We at Funda Zophila Foundation want to change the thoughts of parents to one where they see every child as being like their own,” he explained in an interview with the Queensburgh News midway through October.  The phrase Prithraj said he would like to hear more from parents is this: “Every child is like my own, if one child is bullied or abused then all our children feel the same pain.”
Funda Zophila has in the past visited schools alongside the police from both Malvern SAPS and Bellair SAPS.
“We visited Malvern Primary and Queensburgh Primary twice under the watch of Lt Col Val Reddy,” said Prithraj. “Other schools that were visited in the area was Werda High and Primary School under the watch of Sergeant Pam Pillay of the Bellair SAPS,” he said.
Prithraj said the feedback he received from Sgt Pillay and the principals from the schools are that many learners benefited from the visits.  “It helped them most of all to understand what bullying and abuse does to students who are continually bullied,” he explained.

Prithraj also said he feels the focus at the schools is all good and well, but bulling is a problem in the wider community. “In most cases bullying starts at home, where a child is exposed to one parent bullying the other to get their way. Sometimes the child will start using things they witnessed to blackmail a parent or the parents,” he said. “Parents need to always be mindful that having a disagreement in front of their children is never good. This can affect the child who can become withdrawn and this opens the child to becoming an easy target to be bullied and abused.”
For this reason, he felt it was necessary to take the campaign out of the schools and into the streets where adults and businesses will benefit from the awareness raised.

To that end, two placard demonstrations were planned on the last full week of October, outside Malvern SAPS at 7.15am on the Thursday, 24 Octber which served as a warm-up for the main demonstration the next day.

On Friday, 25 October, at the intersection of Bellair and Main Road between 7am and 8am, Prithraj invited “adults only” to take up placards and show their determination to put an end to bullying.

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Asked why he had stipulated that the demonstration on Friday be only for adults while children were on their way to school at that time, Prithraj said he felt it was time for parents, professionals and other grown-ups to stand in solidarity with children who have experienced bullying.

He said he felt it was time grown-ups ensure that government takes steps to address the problem.

“If the government does not address the issues of bullying and abuse seriously, we will continue to read and hear of all the violent behaviour (stabbing) of students that is currently taking place,” he said.

“The education department needs to stop taking the issues of bullying and abuse too lightly. They need to stop sitting in their office trying to implement programmes that are not working.”

Prithraj said now was the time to forget about all the previous plans and manuals and start listening to organisations like his. ” Stop and smell the coffee!” was his impassioned plea to civil society and government alike.

“October is known as national bullying month – it is celebrated around the world,” he said. “What happened to us? We also need to be making a noise about this!”

ALSO READ: Tell someone: Bullying is a crime, says Bellair SAPS

To find out how to contact Funda Zophila Foundation, or find out how to support this active organisation which runs edu-assist awareness programmes around South Africa, visit its website www.bullyboogie.co.za.
Follow the Queensburgh News Facebook page for more about this campaign as well as updates on demonstrations and events being planned in the greater Queensburgh community.

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