Bullying could have long-term effects, says trauma councillor
Authorities warn that bullying could have lasting effects on both the victim and the oppressor.
BULLYING remains a prevalent social issue across the globe, and has in recent years with the advent of mobile technology and the Internet become even more complex and rampant.
According to Lt Raymond Deokaran of the Durban North SAPS, the station deals with numerous cases of cyber bullying. However, the difficulty with these cases, he said, was that they are hard to prove.
National Stop Bullying Day was held earlier this month. In Durban North the SAPS and the Durban North Umhlanga Crisis Team joined forces to raise awareness about the issue. Carol van Tonder of the crisis team said the most concerning aspect of bullying was that its effects were ‘long-lasting’.
“Often we have found when victims of bullying have undergone a traumatic experience, they tend to bring back that pain and trauma experienced when they were bullied. It never really goes away,” she said.
In some cases, victims can develop severe long-term effects, such as anxiety, panic attacks, depression and poor self-esteem, added Van Tonder.
In addition to cyber bullying, victims can also experience physical and emotional abuse. Being called names, shoved, purposefully ostracised or even having your pants pulled down can amount to bullying. Van Tonder urged parents to speak to their children – the victims and the bullies.
“Communication is essential. Through talking to your children and having an open and honest relationship with them, the easier it will be to detect and deal with such issues. Once bullying has been established, parents need to report it to the school,” she said. In severe cases, the child will need counselling and a support structure.
In some cases, the bullies themselves can experience long-term effects. “There have been severe cases where bullies end up with drug dependencies or have become involved in criminal activities in their adolescence.
“In other cases, emotional abuse had escalated to physical abuse. There is a reason that a child bullies, be it problems at home or needing to build up his or her own self-esteem,” she said.
A parent and victim’s first port of call should always be to report it to the school, said Deokaran. However, depending on the severity of the situation, victims can open a criminal case against their bully.
He strongly condemned parents from taking the law into their own hands. “Last year we had a case where the father assaulted the bully, and now the parent faces assault charges,” he said.
Deokaran also urged victims not to fight back or react to their bullies’ taunts. “Not only could the victims fuel the bullying by reacting, but by fighting back, they could be the one charged with assault,” he said.
