Schools must spot and stop bullying

Bullies who gounpunished in school might indulge in ragging in higher classes

There is a tendency to ignore bullying as a childish act or a mischief that young children indulge in for fun. This is not a sensible approach if one considers the consequences of bullying and the long-term trauma that the victims face.

Bullying happens often in schools. It can happen inside the classrooms, on the school ground, inside the school buses or in the dining hall or washroom areas.

Some get reported while many go unreported or unnoticed. What we need to understand is that it is bullying that transforms into ragging in colleges. In other words, when those who bully go unpunished in school, they will resort to ragging as they go to higher classes.

Bullying is an unwanted, aggressive behaviour often indulged in by those with superior physical strength on others who are weaker. There is a power imbalance and it is taken advantage of by the ones with more power.

There are different types of bullying. It can be verbal bullying in the form of teasing, calling names, body-shaming, etc. It can also be intimidating the weaker ones
by spreading rumours, shouting down or ordering them around.

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There can be social bullying which involves isolating someone, embarrassing someone in public, telling others not to be friends with someone and the like.

Physical bullying also happens in schools. This includes physical violence like hitting, punching, kicking, pinching, etc, very often, unprovoked.

Cyber-bullying also has started in recent times. Some students use this method to browbeat their juniors or the ones they want to target. They use cell phones and computers to send offensive texts or hateful messages to defame or hurt their targets.

We need to nip this in the bud while they are children. Sometimes they do it for fun, without realising its dire consequences. They should know that those who are
at the receiving end endure a lot of pain and suffering. Some of them experience extreme fear, anxiety and even depression which can do serious damage to their self-esteem and confidence levels.

Families, too, have a responsibility in this regard. It is noticed that children who bully come from families where there is bullying, aggression and violence among siblings and neighbours, and the same behaviour spills on to the school. Parents must ensure that such behaviour is curbed so that children do not make it their second nature and carry such tendencies to school.

Violence breeds violence. Parents shall not resort to physical violence. They have to teach their children good behaviour without resorting to strong-arm methods. Confident parents do
not need a stick to discipline their children. Modelling good behaviour is the best form of parenting.

Parents, teachers and school counsellors must jointly address this issue. If left unattended, bullying can grow into ragging and even criminal violence in their later life, and the consequences can be disastrous. The sad part is that it is not only the bully who will suffer, but also the innocent victims of the bully.

Three-pronged strategy

A three-pronged strategy is necessary to handle this issue. The first one is that every school must adopt an anti-bullying policy. There must be a mechanism for the students who are bullied to report to their teachers instantly. Affected children must be reassured that they will be protected and no harm will come to them. This is very important because every
bully will leave a warning that the incident should not be reported.

An effective redressal mechanism must be put in place and this must be constantly monitored by a team of senior teachers, who are accessible and sensitive to students’ needs.

The second step is to counsel the children, not only the ones who bully, but also the ones who are bullied. Pastoral care is needed to encourage good behaviour in students and create a healthy climate at school. The parents concerned should also be taken into confidence.

Thirdly, in spite of all these steps, if a student persists with bullying, stringent punishments should follow. Punishments must be a deterrent to the ones who derive sadistic pleasure from harming others. If not checked, they are likely to become a societal risk, and so they have to be reformed.

Schools have to be extremely vigilant. They have a responsibility to protect children who are innocent and defenceless. We need to lend them voice, and empower them. There should not be a situation where innocent children cower in fear and suffer mental agony
and humiliation in the hands of bullies.

Every responsible school should declare zero tolerance to bullying and put in place swift and decisive action in case it happens. If schools take care of bullying, ragging in colleges will come to an end, in all probability.

(The writer is director, Little Rock Group of Institutions, Udupi)