Almost all of us have been bullied at some point. Whether we admit it or not, most of us have also been part of the problem. A bully might not tell a joke at a victim’s expense if no one laughed.
Lately there have been more and more instances in the news about bullied young people taking their own lives; most recently, the case of Phoebe Prince, a 15-year-old girl who hung herself after being bullied relentlessly by her classmates.
Cyber-bullying has become ubiquitous, with social networking sites like Facebook getting a particularly bad rap for the malicious actions of some students.
Bullying can have serious long-term consequences. One study showed that adults who’d been bullied as youth had lower self-esteem and higher instances of depression even years later. Another study showed that 60% of those described as bullies in grades 6-9 had at least one criminal conviction by age 24.
If you’re the victim of bullying, know that you are not alone and please don’t try to “just deal with it.” No one has the right to treat people in ways that make them feel unsafe or make them the target of ridicule. Anyone who says to “just ignore it” isn’t taking it seriously enough – tell someone else.
If you see it happening to someone else, don't stand by and let it continue - tell a parent, teacher or school administrator what's going on.
To learn more, visit http://www.stopbullyingnow.com, http://stop-bullies.com or http://www.bullystoppers.com.
You can earn free donations to support suicide prevention services by supporting To Write Love on Her Arms or The Trevor Project on SocialVibe.
Leave a comment and share your thoughts about bullying below.
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