Is your child being bullied?
As many as 20% of students in Australian schools have experienced bullying and harassment. The real figure may be even higher, because many problems are not reported.
Bullying has direct links to domestic and family violence. Not only does it occur within the school community, it can also occur in the workplace or home environment between siblings and by children bullying a parent.
There are some telltale signs of a bullied child, so don’t ignore them…
- Less sociable, moody and withdrawn
- Starts to hate school
- Self harm (in extreme cases)
- Violent and aggressive outbursts
- Illness on a regular basis
- Ripped clothing, bruising on body
- Personal items go missing / stolen
- Drop in school work standard /marks
- Anxiety and depression
- Trouble sleeping / nightmares
CYBERBULLYING
Bullying in cyberspace is emerging as a real and dangerous threat in today’s society.
The internet, chat rooms, messaging, e-mail and mobile phones can make our children vulnerable 24 x 7.
Common signs for children being bullied online include:
- Spending a lot of time on the computer
- Having trouble sleeping or having nightmares
- Feeling depressed or crying without reason
- Mood swings
- Feeling unwell
- Becoming ant-social and losing friends
- Falling behind in school work
As well as these signs, any unusual behaviour your child is exhibiting may indicate that they are a victim of cyberbullying.
It is important you communicate with your children about their well being. Often problems which exist in the real world can transfer to the internet.
By being aware of typical cyberbullying signals, you will be able to provide help and support at an early age.
CONTACTS
- In an emergency dial tripl zero (000)
- Lifeline 131 114
- Kids help line 1800 55 1800
- Parentline 132 055
- Police assistance Line 131 444
- Netalert Helpline 1800 880 176
- Nationall Children’s and Youth Law Centre 9385 9588
- Youth Action and Policy Association Inc. (YAPA) 1800 627 323
WEBSITES
Find out more about bullying:
- reachout.com.au
- bullyingnoway.com.au
- ncab.org.au (National Centre Against Bullying)
- netalert.gov.au
Find out about you and the law
- police.nsw.gov.au
- lawlink.nsw.gov.au/abd
- lawstuff.org.au
- ncylc.org.au
Find out about getting help:
- beyondblue.org.au
- lifeline.org.au
- headspace.org.au
- parentline.com.au
- youth.nsw.gov.au
Find out about policy and procedure:
- industrialrelations.nsw.goc.au
- det.nsw.edu.au/antibullying
- yapa.org.au
Taken with permission from A community information initiatuve by Don Page MP, Member for Ballina, NSW.
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Best Enemies, movie premieres September 2009, tells the story of a teenage girl whose world is thrown into chaos when overnight her best friend becomes her “best enemy”, leading to terrible consequences.
Inspired by true events, it shows how a teenage girl’s life can so easily be thrown into despair and depression, through the actions of her friends and class mates to bully and mass communicate cruel information using MSN, SMS and online community web sites.
Check out the site at http://www.bestenemies.tv/
The site supports what you guys have posted. Here’s what it says in their FAQ>>>>
Bullying is a very complex issue. Here are some FAQ’s to help you understand and appreciate the issues.
Q: What is bullying?
A: It can take on many many forms.
•Physical abuse: Being punched and pushed.
•Verbal abuse: Being called names
•Cyber abuse: Being sent abusive emails, texts and phone calls
•Social abuse: Being excluded and being made fun of in front of people. Bully spreads rumours about the victim.
Q: What is Cyber Bullying?
A: It is the bullying of someone via online means such as message boards, social networking sites and the like. People use all the means at their disposal to bully and slander others. The internet also allows bullies the opportunity to be anonymous.
“Cyber bullies” can spread vitriol to an entire school and community in an instant; the phenomenon has led to a number of reported cases of depression and increased teen girl suicide. Suicide now accounts for 18 per cent of deaths among Australians aged 12-24.
A Girlfriend magazine survey of more than 800 Australian girls aged 12 -18 found:
THREE quarters know someone who has been bullied or harassed online and one third admit they have bullied or harassed someone online.
ONE third had been sexually harassed online.
ABOUT half admitted they freely gave their mobile numbers at school.
ONE quarter had been bullied via mobile phone and another quarter via the internet.
MORE than half did not know how to report bullying, harassment or pornography on the internet.
Many girls reported finding doctored images of themselves online and falling victim to vicious rumours circling via SMS messages.
Q: What are the effects on victims of bullying?
A: They can become withdrawn and their self-esteem will plummet. School work can suffer and they can become depressed. Research has found that adults who were bullied in their youth are more likely to be depressed and have lower self-esteem.
+ 2 out of 5 students feel things stay the same or get worse after telling an adult they’ve been bullied.
+64% of bullied kids seek help from friends rather than family
+public schools students are more likely to say that they are being bullied than students from non-governmental schools
+ cyber bullying is used more by private school kids
+ more than 50% of kids believe it is worse to hit or punch another student than send a nasty message
+ bullying victims show social withdrawal, nervousness, depression and declines in academic performance.
research reveals that 7 out of 10 adults suffer from low self esteem and low confidence as a result of school yard bullying
http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/wellbeing/bullying-at-school-scars-adulthood-20091119-ioz0.html