Anti-Bullying

• Physical bullying is the most obvious form of bullying. It occurs when the bullies use physical actions to gain power and control over their targets.
• Physical bullies tend to be bigger, stronger, and more aggressive than their peers.
• Examples of physical bullying include kicking, hitting, punching, slapping, shoving, and other physical attacks.

• Perpetrators of verbal bullying use words, statements, and name-calling to gain power and control over a target. Typically, verbal bullies will use relentless insults to belittle, demean, and hurt another person. They choose their targets based on the way they look, act, or behave.
• Verbal bullying is just as hurtful and damaging as physical bullying.
• Research has shown that verbal bullying and name-calling has serious consequences and can leave deep emotional scars.

Social bullying, sometimes referred to as covert bullying, is often harder to recognize and can be carried out behind the bullied person’s back. It is designed to harm someone’s social reputation and/or cause humiliation. Social bullying includes:

• lying and spreading rumours
• negative facial or physical gestures, menacing or contemptuous looks
• playing nasty jokes to embarrass and humiliate
• mimicking unkindly
• encouraging others to socially exclude someone
• damaging someone’s social reputation or social acceptance.

• When a person uses the Internet, a smartphone, or other technology to harass, threaten, embarrass, or target another person, this is called cyberbullying. If an adult is involved in the harassment this is called cyber-harassment or cyberstalking.
• Examples of cyberbullying include posting hurtful images, making online threats, and sending hurtful emails or texts. Because most people are always “plugged in,” cyberbullying is a growing issue among young people. It’s also becoming more widespread because bullies can harass their targets with much less risk of being caught.
• Cyberbullies often say things that they do not have the courage to say face-to-face. Technology makes them feel anonymous, insulated and detached from the situation. Consequently, online bullying is often mean and cruel.
• To the targets of cyberbullying, it feels invasive and never-ending. Bullies can get to them anytime and anywhere, often in the safety of their own homes. As a result, the consequences of cyberbullying are significant.

• Prejudicial bullying is based on prejudices people have toward people of different races, religions, or sexual orientation. This type of bullying can encompass all the other types of bullying including cyberbullying, verbal bullying, relational bullying and physical bullying.
• When prejudicial bullying occurs, kids are targeting others who are different from them and singling them out.
• Oftentimes, this type of bullying is severe and can open the door to hate crimes. Any time a child is bullied for his sexual orientation, race, or religion, it should be reported.

• Over two in five gay pupils who experience homophobic bullying attempt or think about taking their own life as a direct consequence (5).
• Three in five young people say that bullying has a direct impact on their school work and straight-A students have told us it makes them want to leave education entirely (5).
• More than half (55 per cent) of lesbian, gay and bisexual young people experience homophobic bullying in Britain’s schools (5).
• Ninety six per cent of gay pupils hear homophobic remarks such as ‘poof’ or ‘lezza’ used in school. Almost all (99 per cent) hear phrases such as ‘that’s so gay’ or ‘you’re so gay’ in school (5).