Defining school bullying and its implications on education, teachers and learners

defining school bullying

Contributing to UNESCO’s work on fostering safe learning environments , which addresses many different forms of violence, the UNESCO Chair on Bullying and Cyberbullying, in collaboration with the World Anti-Bullying Forum (WABF), led an international working group to create a more holistic and inclusive definition of school bullying. Professor James O’Higgins Norman, UNESCO Chair on Bullying and Cyberbullying, shares his insights on this work.

Why revisit the definition of bullying?

Many current anti-bullying programmes in schools are rooted in early definitions characterizing bullying as an “unwanted aggressive behavior that is repeated over time and involves an imbalance of power or strength”. While this was groundbreaking at the time and advanced the work of researchers, policy makers, educators and others, evolving perspectives have deepened our understanding of bullying.

Research shows that progress in reducing school bullying has been slow, with only a 19% decrease in perpetration and a 15% drop in the rate of learners facing bullying. This means we must reassess our understanding and approaches to bullying, especially in our increasingly complex world, where both in-person and online bullying intertwine with personal and societal issues.

How are you revisiting the definition of bullying?

As a UNESCO Chair, my role involves facilitating interdisciplinary research and dialogue, and working towards a more holistic approach to bullying. Our recommendation for a ‘whole-education’ approach to tackle bullying recognizes individual, contextual, and societal dimensions.

With support from UNESCO and the WABF, I facilitated the working group to revisit the definition of bullying, consulting scholars, policymakers and practitioners worldwide. We gathered feedback from a diverse group and have conducted wide consultations. This working group was launched following the recommendations by a Scientific Committee on preventing and addressing school bullying and cyberbullying, convened by UNESCO and the French Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.

What would a revised definition mean for education policymakers and practitioners, for school communities and learners?

The proposed definition promotes a holistic and inclusion-driven approach to tackling bullying and violence in schools and in online spaces. 

Crafting a more inclusive definition has the potential to break down academic and professional barriers, encouraging cooperation between sectors, and among scholars, policymakers, educators, and learners. It provides a solid foundation to better understand bullying particularly regarding those most marginalized due to appearance, ethnicity, gender, social class, or sexuality, among others. Bullying is a complex issue tied to individual, contextual, and structural factors, making collaboration essential.

Together, we can deepen our understanding and address not only the behavior but also the underlying systems and ideologies supporting bullying.

What is your vision for this improved definition of school bullying?

My vision aligns with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4, on education, in that our work on bullying, and all other forms of school violence, is aimed at ensuring an inclusive and equitable quality education and the promotion of lifelong learning opportunities for all. 

What message do you have for teachers and learners?

To teachers and school staff: Do not accept bullying as normal. Create a safe classroom environment by setting clear expectations for kindness and respect, remain vigilant for signs of bullying, stay informed about effective prevention strategies, and promptly address any incidents. Implement a robust anti-bullying policy. Under the idea of a ‘whole-education’ approach, collaborate with colleagues and parents, incorporate empathy and anti-bullying content into the curriculum, and use collaborative learning methods.

To learners: Report bullying, be confident in recognizing and responding to it, and encourage bystander intervention. You have the power to stop bullying.

New definition and what’s next?

The working group presented its proposed revised definition of school bullying at the WABF held in October 2023. The proposed definition reads:

School bullying is a damaging social process that is characterized by an imbalance of power driven by social (societal) and institutional norms. It is often repeated and manifests as unwanted interpersonal behaviour among students or school personnel that causes physical, social, and emotional harm to the targeted individuals or groups, and the wider school community.

This new inclusive definition of school bullying was largely welcomed by delegates at the Forum. The UNESCO Chair and WABF hope that this revised definition will contribute to opening a new chapter in the global conversation on the nature of and responses to bullying and cyberbullying. 

For UNESCO, the new definition of bullying reflects our approach and work to ensure that schools are safe and supportive learning environments. This means that to end all forms of school violence, including bullying, we must understand that these behaviours do not happen in isolation, that there are different drivers of violence, and that a ‘whole-education’ approach is needed. 

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Essay on Bullying in Schools

School bullying can be defined as the situation in which one or more students (The Bullies) single out a child (victim) and intend in behavior intended to cause discomfort or harm the child. A bully will repeatedly target the same victim several times. Under all circumstances, bullies have an advantage over the victim as they possess more power. Compared to the victim, bullies usually have physically stronger with a large circle of friends or higher social standing. Bullying can inflict emotional distress, humiliation, and physical harm. More than 95% of learning institutions experience bullying globally. Bullying must be meet a specific rationale to be considered bullying. Such requirements include repetitiveness, recurrent imbalance of power, and provocation. Bullying can occur in schools, on campus, or the outskirts of school, but its setting must have been created within the school. Regardless of the position, all the stakeholders in a school context, such as parents, educators, children, and community members, are required to contribute to the prevention of bullying in schools. School bullying is increasingly becoming a social problem in modern society. Ideally, there are several types of school bullying attached to different causes. The effects of school bullying can be classified in psychological, economical, and academic dimensions.

Types of Bullying in Schools

The common types of bullying in a school setting include verbal, sexual, cyber, psychological, physical, and higher education bullying. Notably, victims in a learning context can experience bullying regardless of age. The aforementioned types of bullying are further classified as either direct or indirect bullying. Direct bullying is defined as an attack that is openly targeted to a victim. Direct bullying is either verbal or physical. Contrary, indirect bullying involves different forms of relational aggression that leads to social isolation through defaming one’s reputation and manipulating the conscience of others into falsehood. Indirect bullying is usually hard and subtle to detect in a school setting (Goodwin et al. 330). If undertaken by a group of bullies, direct and indirect bullying can be referred to as pack bullying. The different types of bullying can be defined either directly or indirectly relative to the implication to the victim.

Physical bullying occurs when there is unwanted physical contact between the victim and the bully. Physical contact can be hand to hand or tripping and throwing items at others that can cause physical harm. The second is emotional bullying. Emotional bullying can be defined as hurting others emotionally by negatively influencing their moods and psyche. The primary examples of emotional bullying include; belittling, spreading false information, and defamation. Verbal bullying can be defined as the usage of slanderous language or statements causing emotional distress to other people. Examples of verbal bullying include harassing, mocking, teasing, and threatening to cause harm. Finally, Cyberbullying is attached to the evolution of the internet and computers. The use of computers in bullying at schoolyards is on the surge. In most instances, schools experience difficulties in controlling cyberbullying as experiences are beyond the school fraternity.

The other common types of school bullying are sexual bullying and higher education bullying. Sexual bullying is either non-physical or physical, grounded on the gender or sexuality of the victim. In most instances, sexual bullying is undertaken by the male gender. The United States department of education reports an average of 60% of expulsions and suspensions from learning institutions attached to sexual bullying (Goodwin et al. 328). In most instances, the young ones are frames into tricks to share their nudes, after which there are forced to fulfill specific sexual demands at the expense of exposure. Higher education bullying occurs at the campus or college level. Around 95% of students have reported having been bullied at the college level. Higher education bullying results in depression and suicide in most cases.

Measures to Control Bullying

The main approaches in controlling bullying in school settings include the implementation of educative programs, creating a positive school climate, engaging parents, encouraging open communication and punishments. These techniques, however, vary depending on the learning level and the prevalence of bullying in the particular period. Education programs involve creating awareness to parents, students, and teachers regarding what constitutes bullying. Educative programs are instrumental in creating insight into the harmful nature of whichever kind of bullying. All the stakeholders within the school fraternity are enrolled in sessions of creating awareness on the signs of bullying and the most appropriate intervention criteria. The most common ways in educating on bullying include role-play, identification and reporting discussions, and other approaches to decline being involved in bullying. Nickerson(19) argued that educative programs are 62% effective in curbing the prevalence of bullying in learning institutions.

Secondly, schools can help in the prevention of bullying by promoting a positive school climate. Schools with a positive climate are presumed to have a healthy development, while the negative school climate results in a surge in bullying cases, unsafe feelings, victimization, and aggression. While the elements of positive school culture vary from norms relative to power, relationships, and feelings, it’s evident that a positive climate is a product of a conscious process that becomes self-reinforcing (Goodwin et al. 330). The main determinants of a positive climate include leadership and integrity in learning institutions. Therefore, the ability to have cognitive leaders is an advantage of coping with bullying in schools.

Third, schools should engage parents. Parents spend most of their time with children at the primary level. While there are many stakeholders involved in the lives of the children, parents play an essential role in understanding their behavior. Engaging parents in bullying scenarios means initiating communication on the progress of the children in terms of behavior and performance. Integration between parents and teachers is essential in providing consistent approaches that help yield a more productive and appropriate behavior (Nickerson 22). Parents can help their children recognize while being bullied by others. However, the approach is not viable in urban schools as parents experience difficulties establishing trust with schools.

Finally, schools should initiate open communication techniques. Open communication is essential in building rapport. Having open communication means that students can disclose their problems to teachers. Open communication helps the teachers gain more insight into existing bullies in the school (Nickerson 20). For instance, classroom meetings in grade 4 will enable teachers to obtain crucial information in enacting more controls to curb bullying in schools. Teachers are expected to listen carefully during the class meetings to avoid inflicting fear on the learners. Students should be assured of confidentiality and privacy of the information obtained as any disclosure might attract further bullying.

Effects of School Bullying 

The effect of school bullying can be categorized in psychological and academic dimensions. Bullying results in poor performance in school. More than 70% of learners subjected to bullying ends up recording a decline in academic performance. The results are more severe at a young age. Bullying would result in fading of interest and participation of learners in school activities as it results in unexplained injuries linked to affecting concentration (Menesini and Christina 246). The impact of bullying on educational performance is increasingly becoming imminent. Bullying installs fear in learners from attending school regularly, thus affecting their consistency and concentration in class. Based on this explanation, it’s evident that bullied students will experience difficulties in achieving their academic goals. Moreover, bullying is linked with an unsafe learning environment that creates a negative climate of fear and insecurities and the perception that teachers do not care about the welfare of learners, thus decline in quality of education.

Secondly, bullying is associated with psychological problems. While bullying to individuals helps them enhance their personality and perceptions as they grow, it’s presumed that bullying can risk an individual developing an antisocial personality disorder linked to committing crimes. Bullying leads to depression, anxiety, and psychosomatic symptoms, which often leads to alcohol and substance abuse by the victims at a later stage in their lives. It’s argued that victims of depression feel free and open to share their experience with others, unlike in bullying, where the victims would choose to shy talking about the feeling in fear of being bullied again. In the short run, bystanders of the bullying experience may develop the fear, guiltiness, and sadness, and if the experience persists, they might get psychologically drained (Sampson). Therefore, the victims of bullying experiences struggle with insomnia, suicidal thoughts, health problems, and depression. Bullying does affect not only the students but also their classmates and family. Feeling powerless, parents and immediate family members might fall victim to depression and emotional distress. Some parents would invest more time in protecting their children, thus affecting them psychologically and economically.

Causes of Bullying

There are numerous causes of school bullying attached to religion, socioeconomic status, race, and gender. Understanding the reasons why students chose to bully their classmates is significant to teachers in combating bullying. The National Center for Educational Statistics report established that 25% of Blacks, 22% of Caucasians, 17% of Hispanics, and 9% of Asian students were bullied in 2017 (Divecha). Some of the students that bully others have higher levels of courage and confidence and can respond aggressively if threatened by the behavior. Students at the college level get bullied on sexual matters. For instance, the subscribers to LGBTQA sexual orientation get bullied based on their decision as gay or lesbians. Moreover, bullying in schools is caused by other factors attached to families. Students from abuse and divorced families are likely to bully others due to jealousy, anger, and despair.

From the above discussion, it’s evident that school bullying in whichever capacity is detrimental to human dignity. School bullying is increasingly becoming a social problem in modern society. Ideally, there are several types of school bullying attached to different causes. The effects of school bullying can be classified in psychological, economical, and academic dimensions. The primary forms of school form such as verbal, sexual, cyber, psychological, physical, and higher education bullying are categorized into direct and indirect bullying. The intervention strategies to curb bullying should involve all the stakeholders, such as parents, teachers, and students. The main approaches in controlling bullying in school settings include implementing educative programs, creating a positive school climate, engaging parents, and encouraging open communication and punishments.

Works Cited

Divecha, Diana. “What Are the Best Ways to Prevent Bullying in Schools?”  Greater Good , https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/what_are_the_best_ways_to_prevent_bullyi ng_in_schools

Sampson, Rana. “Center for Problem-Oriented Policing.” Arizona State University,  https://popcenter.asu.edu/content/bullying-schools-0

Menesini, Ersilia, and Christina Salmivalli. “Bullying in schools: the state of knowledge and effective interventions.”  Psychology, health & medicine  22.sup1 (2017): 240-253.

Goodwin, John, et al. “Bullying in schools: an evaluation of the use of drama in bullying prevention.” Journal of Creativity in Mental Health 14.3 (2019): 329-342.

Nickerson, Amanda B. “Preventing and intervening with bullying in schools: A framework for evidence- based practice.”  School Mental Health  11.1 (2019): 15-28.

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Bullying Essay Writing Prompts & Examples for Students

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Bullying is a repeated, physical, social, or psychological behavior that refers to the misuse of power by a person or group towards another individual or people. It is unacceptable in the United States! However, the acts of bullying are typical for the educational institutions, especially high schools. The teachers assign corresponding essays and research papers hoping to prove the harmfulness of this phenomenon to the students. Do not confuse bullying essay and bully essay! We will explain the difference between these two, share some good topics, provide useful writing tips, and present free examples of such papers. There are times when students can do nothing about the homework. It does not mean they know nothing about the offered topic or have no talent - the lack of time is the most common reason. What our academic writing company offers is quality help with writing an essay available online 24/7. Do not miss your chance to improve your grade!  

What Is Bullying Essay?

One may ask, “ What is bullying essay? ” Okay, not all students know the definition of this word because some of them are lucky never to witness school bullying. A bullying essay is an academic paper on the humiliation, inequality, and unfair treatment of a person by another person or a group of people. It is a common phenomenon in the US schools. Bullying is one of the main reasons for the massive school murders. Because this activity may lead to the fatal, dramatic consequences, a bullying essay is one of the most popular assignments.

Working on Bullying Essay Outline

The primary thing to get ready with before writing a bully essay is the bullying essay outline. It is a must in any type of writing. An outline won’t let you get lost during the writing process. It looks like a detailed plan of action, and here is an example:

  • The negative aspects & adverse consequences of bullying.
  • The victims of bullying: common features they share, reasons to be involved in bullying, and mistakes the victims do.
  • Conditions under which bullying takes place.
  • The outcomes of bullying.
  • Possible solutions against bullying: from the things students should do on their own to the involvement of parents and teachers.
  • Conclusion Relate bullying as a story and rewrite the thesis statement from the introduction.

Preparing an Unforgettable Bullying Essay Introduction

In the bullying essay introduction, introduce the topic you are going to discuss. Define the term “bullying” using a dictionary and own words. Show the importance of discussing this issue by starting with an interesting fact or official statistics. The examples of the opening sentences are:

“Between 1 in 4 US students say they have been bullied at school.” “There is no general profile of a person involved in bullying. Young adolescents who bully can be either well-connected socially or marginalized.” 

The rationale for writing an interesting bullying essay introduction is to make it possible to let the reader appreciate the topic and understand its significance.

Tips on Writing a Bullying Essay Conclusion Paragraph

A bullying essay conclusion paragraph should leave the greatest impression on the reader and motivate them to contribute something to the war against bullying. A writer can start with the essay hook or rewritten thesis. Both versions are good to make the reader interested. A student has to develop a conclusion to guarantee a closure for the bullying essay that defines his or her final claim concerning the problem of bullying in schools or an entire community. It is time to stop the anti-social behaviour!

  • Offer a final statement that talks about the abusive practices against the person or group of people.
  • Provide learning insight to stress the important role of bullying in the life of modern kids. Show the importance of further research. Think about what makes a significant lesson for personal perception.
  • Share feedback relevant to the implementation of governmental regulations created to stop the bullying.
  • Come up with the recommendations about bullying to let others think about the most effective way of handling the problem.
  • List the negative implications of bullying (victim’s physical & mental problems).

Post-Writing Steps

No matter whether you work on a short essay about bullying or a long one, the post-writing recommendations are the same. Do not ignore their importance!

  • Look at the format and structure of the paper and fix it if needed.
  • Proofread to detect & fix any grammar, spelling, or punctuation mistakes.
  • Seek for the tutor’s feedback before revising.
  • Apply grammar and plagiarism checking software to get rid of the errors.
  • Let your peers or family members read the bullying essay to make sure it is polished.

20 Anti Bullying Essay Topics

An essay on bullying is not limited to defining the term. It has many options when it comes to choosing a specific topic. An essay on bullying may have several categories. One of the examples is cyber bullying essay - the threat of bullying with the help of social profiles and Internet, in general, is high.

  • Reasons why teasing may end up bullying.
  • Accepting people for who they are - preventing bullying.
  • The ways to support people who were bullied in the past.
  • The consequences of school bullying.
  • Turning for help to the adults.
  • Stopping the culture of bullying in the US schools.
  • Ways to make students feel comfortable when talking about bullying.
  • The problem of standing around and doing nothing to help the victim.
  • How other kids may prevent their peers from bullying each other.
  • Bullying in person vs. bullying in a group.
  • What are the mental consequences of bullying?
  • How can students prevent cyberbullying?
  • Reasons why some people bully others.
  • The way a bully feels once he or she put someone down.
  • Family essay : The role of family members in the life of the bullied person.
  • Risks for standing up for the one who is being bullied.
  • New ways to increase the community’s awareness about bullying
  • Describing the episode of bullying from your life.
  • Things you would do if someone tried to bully you.
  • Different types of bullying.

Each of these bullying essay titles is a good example of the ways to reduce bullying in schools essay. If you still lack ideas, rely on our Topic Generator for Essay . 

Read our free bullying essay examples. They will help to understand the goals of such paper better!

5 Awesome Bullying Essay Examples

Argumentative essay on bullying.

An argumentative essay on bullying is a challenge. A writer has to take one of the positions in the existing debate. Unlike in persuasive paper, there is no need to convince the target audience of your truth, and it makes the mission a bit easier. Here is an extract from such essay:

"Bullying is unacceptable, and many movements exist trying to stop this act of violence and inequality among teenagers. I will formulate an argument towards the problem at hand. Being a student of the high school, I see bullying among students of my age every day. That is why I will express my support in the fight against this phenomenon. Some things change for better thanks to the efforts of our parents and teachers, but the signs of bullying are present in most of the US education institutions. It is inhuman and has to end. Do you think the measures contemporary society takes are effective? I am a former victim of bullying: it happened several times when I was studying in the high school because of my family’s social status. The rest of the students came from wealthy families, and they believed there is no place for “burglars” like me. What they did to me was morally unacceptable. I think the government along with the legal bodies should make school bullying illegal and punish those who commit this crime according to the constitutional law. Such type of crime can have a long-term impact on everybody involved in the act. The experts define several types of this crime. Those are face-to-face like direct name calling; at a distance like spreading rumors; and cyberbullying. To me, the worst one is face-to-face even though experts name cyberbullying as the most dangerous one.”  

Persuasive Essay on Bullying

In a persuasive essay on bullying, a student has to explain his or her position towards the existing problem AND prove it to the reader. It requires more efforts than an argumentative paper. See the example below.

"School bullying is one of the basic issues in many educational institutions. Students may injure or even murder others. It happens in many regions of the world, but it looks like the United States suffer from this problem more than other countries. This type of crime is never acceptable. I have witnessed several acts of severe school bullying in my city, and I do not understand why teachers, parents, and government do nothing special to prevent such cases. Even if the act of bullying has nothing to do with physical injuries or rape, it may lead to the victim’s suicide. That is the purpose of the school bullies. I insist on forcing all shareholders in the education sector to cooperate to decide on the ways of handling and preventing this problem until it gets worse. The shareholders and working personnel are responsible for bullying. They should guarantee the safety of every student. One of the solutions I recommend implementing to fight against school bullying effectively is through special education explaining why this type of activity is to be discouraged and measures to take if bullying takes place on the eyes of other students. The students should understand the problem. Writing a persuasive essay on this topic might be a clue to the solution.”  

Cyber Bullying Cause and Effect Essay

A cyberbullying cause and effect essay should explain the reasons for bullying and the possible consequences. Most of the outcomes are dramatic and even fatal.

"Hitting someone makes a bully feel good. The strongest ones tend to express their significance through humiliating the weak. It is a natural instinct of many people. The primary reason to blame people who are weaker than you is the inferiority complex - the bully is a non-confident teen who feels better when making others look beneath himself or herself. The psychologists name one more reason. One of the main problems that lead to school bullying is the inability of parents to control their children. Those who come from wealthy families believe they will stay untouched. This feeling of permissiveness results in many different crimes and bullying is one of them. The major effect of the school bullying is the dramatic change in victim’s personality. Bullying can make initially happy and mentally healthy people self-conscious, shy, non-confident, or insane. Some of them end up in asylums. The results of bullying are obvious: the person becomes anti-social and keeps away from trying new things. The victims avoid speaking in public or participating in team games. In some situations, a bullying victim can start to have previously absent anxious signs.”  

5 Paragraph Essay About Bullying

Do you need an example of 5 paragraph essay about bullying? Find the solution below - discover more statistics & facts about bullying in the US schools.

"Bullying is one of the most common problems in the US schools. More than seven percent of kids in the 8th grade prefer staying at home once per month because of the school bullying (Banks, 1997). 15% of students are regularly bullied. Some of them are initiated into the bullying practice by the older students. The paper will talk about the definition of bullying, causes, effects, and the ways people can prevent this phenomenon. Bullying exists for ages. In most situations, it involves the School Bus Park, school hallways, and bathrooms, sometimes during recess (Banks, 1997). A bully never attacks alone. Such person prefers being surrounded by some type of minions that follow him/her everywhere. These people, minions, tend to have no personal opinion, and that makes them a treasure for the leader.”  

How to Prevent Bullying Essay

One of the most popular topics is how to prevent bullying essay. People should not close their eyes to the problems of teenagers ! Your essay may sound this way:

“A victor of bullying can do a lot to stop this phenomenon. It is necessary to take measures to protect yourself by evaluating personal strengths and weaknesses. This way, you will know how to resists the bullies. It is critical to develop and implement psychological, defensive tactics to keep away from getting in touch with the bullies. To stay away from bullying, one has to avoid any contacts with the bullies. A potential victim should not show anger in case of the attack - a good sense of humor may prevent the conflict. If bullying happens, the victim must report it immediately.”

So, writing a teenage bullying essay is useful. It helps to study one of the most serious school problems. Bullying essay should unite people in a battle against inequality and unfair treatment in educational institutions. What do you think? 

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School Bullying: Causes and Police Prevention Essay

Introduction, bullying in schools, what the police can do to prevent bullying in schools, community policing strategies, reference list.

Bullying is a form of scurrilous treatment which mainly entails emotional, physical or verbal harassment directed towards people of certain levels, gender, race and religion just to mention but a few. It mainly occurs when there is imbalance in power such that those deemed to be on the lower physical or social levels are bullied by those in the higher levels of power and social status.

Bullying can occur in many contexts especially where human beings interact with each other such as in the work places, learning institutions, family, churches among others. It is however more prone in schools as compared to the other areas. When bullying occurs, it causes oppression to the affected parties thus affecting their social life and studies in the case of students.

This paper is therefore an analysis of the possible causes and ways of preventing instances of bullying in schools by the police. Past and present approaches of addressing the issue of bullying in schools will further be discussed.

The problem of bullying in schools has been a major problem for many school going children and individuals. This is mainly because those who have undergone it or have seen fellow students in that situation will always have the fear of being in the same environment with the bullies.

As a matter of fact, recent research has shown that the instances of bullying in schools have been on the rise. This has been caused by the absence of ethos making some of the students or rather the bullies to obtain aggressive behavior to bully others.

It is for this reason that there has been need for the intervention of the community and the government to address the issue of bullying schools lest the school environment becomes the worst place to be in.

The fact that bullying in schools is very detrimental to the growth and psychological effects of most school going children leading to instances of depression, low self-esteem and in some cases suicide makes it require immediate causes of action to prevent it.

If this vice is left untreated, the school bullies end up being the societal criminals. School bullying has been identified to result into other antisocial behaviors such as shop lifting, drug and alcohol addicts, vandalism just to mention but a few. It therefore because of this reason that the police force comes in to prevent this act before it develops into more serious crimes.

To begin with is the enactment of the School Bullying Prevention Act which states regulates the control and discipline of school children thus prohibiting them from any form of harassment, bullying or intimidation in the school environment. Through the guidance of this policy, the police are therefore in a position to act in accordance to its provisions thus making any offender punishable under the law.

The police force can prevent instances of bullying in schools by visiting the nearby schools to give them presentation on bullying. This way, the students will understand the effects and consequences of bullying thus shun away from this practice.

Through the establishment of a good relationship with the school, the police force will educate the students on violent prevention and how they can deal with cases of bullying. This is to make sure that the students that nave been bullied report the matter to the authorities without fear since they are well informed of the measures to be taken. Through this information, the rate of bullying in schools will be reduced since the bullies will be aware of the impacts they could face after such acts.

A major obligation of the police force is that of provision of safety in the society. Therefore, the police force can use this as one way of dealing with bullying in schools. This is such that they ensure the school’s environment is very safe by making routine visits to the surrounding.

This will reduce bullying instances as the bullies usually use the hidden or the not-open ground to bully others. Thus in the instance that they are ware of police making visits in the school compound, they will deter from doing such acts for the fear of being caught.

Last but not least, the school’s administration should have direct hotline link with the police forces to ensure immediate response in case of bullying.

The problem of bullying in schools is not for a few but for everyone in the society. This is because the school children will at one point in time be members or leaders of the society. Therefore the community is no exception when it comes to dealing with the issue of bullying in schools. There are various community policy strategies that are applicable in stopping bullying in schools some of which include the following;

  • Involving professionals, parents, volunteers and the youth in the fight against bullying in school- This entails involving different groups and categories of people to advice and guide the children on bullying effects and impacts. These people could include the counselors who will have counseling sessions in schools to educate the children on how to deal with the problem of bullying for those addicted to it or on how to report it for the victims of bullying. Parents also play a great role by raising their children in a disciplined manner. All the aforementioned groups of people can again come together and form ‘stop bullying in schools’ campaign.
  • Raising community awareness; since bullying is often difficult at most times to understand, the community can raise awareness and inform people of how they can predict and recognize bullying. This will be through educating them on the signs of bullying and the consequent measures be taken.
  • Assessing the strength and needs of the community- This entails finding out how the society perceives the bullying vice and measures that have been put in place to deal with it. This way, one will be in a good position to know the requirements of the community in terms of the issue of bullying in schools.

From the above discussion, it can be clearly seen that bullying is a bone of contention for many people. Nevertheless, it is the responsibility of all ambers of the society to deal with the issue of bullying in schools and not to be left on the hands of the school administrators only. Despite the fact that bullying instances have been on the rise in the recent past, ideal measures have been put in place to deal with the issue unlike it was in the past years.

Carey, T. (2003) Improving the success of anti-bullying intervention programs: A tool for matching programs with purposes. International Journal of Reality Therapy, 23(2), 16-23

Whitted, K.and Dupper, D. (2005). Best Practices for Preventing or Reducing

Bullying in Schools. Children and Schools , Vol. 27, No. 3, July 2005, pp. 167-175(9).

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IvyPanda. (2022, April 6). School Bullying: Causes and Police Prevention. https://ivypanda.com/essays/bullying-in-schools/

"School Bullying: Causes and Police Prevention." IvyPanda , 6 Apr. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/bullying-in-schools/.

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IvyPanda . "School Bullying: Causes and Police Prevention." April 6, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/bullying-in-schools/.

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Home — Essay Samples — Social Issues — Bullying — School Bullies: Unmasking the Causes, Effects, and Solutions

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School Bullies: Unmasking The Causes, Effects, and Solutions

  • Categories: Bullying Youth Violence

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Words: 706 |

Published: Sep 7, 2023

Words: 706 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

Table of contents

The causes of school bullying, the effects of school bullying, addressing school bullying: potential solutions, the role of cyberbullying, conclusion: a collective responsibility.

  • Family Environment: Some bullies come from dysfunctional or abusive households, where they may witness aggressive behavior or experience neglect, leading to a lack of empathy and poor coping mechanisms.
  • Peer Influence: Bullying can be perpetuated by peer groups or friends who encourage or reinforce aggressive behavior, creating a culture of harassment within school settings.
  • Low Self-Esteem: Some bullies engage in aggressive behavior as a means of boosting their self-esteem or compensating for feelings of insecurity or inadequacy.
  • Power Imbalance: Bullying often occurs in situations where there is a perceived power imbalance, such as differences in physical strength, popularity, or social status.
  • Media and Technology: Exposure to violent media, cyberbullying through online platforms, and social media can contribute to the normalization of aggressive behavior among young people.
  • Psychological Impact: Victims of bullying often experience anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and an increased risk of developing mental health issues that can persist into adulthood.
  • Academic Consequences: Bullying can disrupt a student's ability to concentrate, leading to a decline in academic performance and a reduced enthusiasm for learning.
  • Physical Health: Bullying can lead to physical health problems, such as headaches, stomachaches, and sleep disturbances, due to the stress and anxiety it induces.
  • Social Isolation: Victims of bullying may withdraw from social activities, resulting in feelings of isolation and a diminished sense of belonging.
  • Long-Term Effects: The effects of bullying can persist into adulthood, impacting relationships, career prospects, and overall quality of life.
  • Educational Programs: Schools can implement anti-bullying programs that promote empathy, conflict resolution skills, and respect for diversity, fostering a culture of inclusivity.
  • Teacher Training: Educators should receive training on recognizing and addressing bullying behavior, creating safe and supportive classroom environments.
  • Parental Involvement: Parents can play a crucial role by monitoring their children's online activities, fostering open communication, and actively addressing any signs of bullying.
  • Peer Support: Encouraging students to act as allies and report instances of bullying can help create a supportive network within schools.
  • Legal Frameworks: Policymakers can enact and enforce anti-bullying legislation, ensuring that schools take appropriate measures to prevent and respond to bullying incidents.
  • Mental Health Support: Schools should offer access to counseling services for both victims and perpetrators of bullying to address underlying emotional and psychological issues.
  • Digital Literacy Education: Schools should educate students about responsible online behavior, digital etiquette, and the consequences of cyberbullying.
  • Reporting Mechanisms: Establish clear channels for reporting cyberbullying incidents and ensure swift and appropriate responses.
  • Parental Involvement: Parents should actively engage with their children's online activities, promote responsible internet use, and be vigilant about signs of cyberbullying.
  • Platform Responsibility: Social media platforms should enforce anti-cyberbullying policies, respond to user reports, and take steps to prevent online harassment.

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school bullying essay introduction

COMMENTS

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