Tackle bullying by the horns

An education expert recently warned that the increase in the number and severity of bullying incidents in South African schools calls for urgent and sustained intervention.

“Almost every week we hear of another desperate pupil or parent having to deal with the physical and emotional trauma of bullying, yet society and authorities’ responses continue to be reactive and unsuccessful in addressing the bigger issue,” said Dr Gillian Mooney, education expert and teaching and learning manager at The Independent Institute of Education, South Africa’s leading private higher education institution.

Mooney said that national and provincial education departments throughout South Africa do have policies and procedures in place on how schools should respond to bullying behaviour. However, more needs to be done to consistently support and educate pupils, parents and schools to ensure the safety and well-being of everyone on the school grounds, she added.

Bullying is centrally about trying to gain power, Mooney said, which means that a rise in bullying can be expected in societies where citizens feel disempowered and seek to gain power through negative behaviour.

High profile and easily accessible structures and processes need to be put in place to help schools deal with bullying, as teachers often feel their hands are tied and victims of bullying feel that they have no voice. Additionally, bullies themselves should receive adequate support and counselling.

According to Mooney, addressing the power imbalance and demonstrating that bullying has consequences is important.

Misconceptions of bullying:

•  Adults should stay out of it if children are bullied

This is untrue as teachers can monitor bullies to deter bullying behaviour, principals can discipline pupils, and parents can report bullying to schools.

•  Boys are the most likely victims

Both boys and girls are equally susceptible to bullying, although perhaps in different ways. Girls are more likely to experience relational, sexual and cyberbullying.

•  Children should toughen up

This myth stems from ideas like ‘boys will be boys’ and that children will ‘work it out’. Bullying can cause real harm and should not be ignored.

•  Bystanders should not intervene when they see bullying

Observers give bullies the audience that they crave and legitimacy if they do not call the bully on their behaviour. Children can be taught to reduce bullying by noticing, reporting and intervening.

•  It is easy to spot a bullied child

Children do not report everything that happens in their lives to their parents. Adults need to find ways to make reporting bullying easier for children and to follow up effectively when they do.

“When we have a situation in our schools where known bullies continue to wreak havoc upon the lives and futures of others, knowing that the system is slow and ineffectual in responding to anti-social behaviour, we are doing the victim, and our society as a whole, a great injustice,” concluded Mooney.