Children’s Rights In and Through Education:
Learning to Live Together
The Right to be Safe
Peer Violence
BULLYING
The Right to be Safe
The Right to Survive
The Right to be Safe
The Right to Belong
The Right to Develop
Learning Outcomes
 Definitions of bullying
 Effects of bullying
 Characteristics of those who bully and those who are bullied
 Influence of bystander behavior
 Types of Bullying:
– Traditional
– Cyber Bullying
 Interventions
– The role of parents
– The role of educators
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What is bullying?
 Bullying is a form of abuse based on power imbalance
 Children have the right to be safe from this form of
violence and abuse which threathens their
development
 Bullying has a group element – in that it often involves
bystanders or witnesses to such abusive events
What is bullying?
 No universal definition
 Direct physical aggression
 Direct verbal aggression
 Indirect aggression
 Behavior that is intentional, hurtful
and repeated by one or more persons.
 Bullied students are teased, harassed, and assaulted
verbally or physically.
Two Types of Bullying
 Direct
 Indirect
Indirect
 Relationship Bullying
– Gossiping
– Spreading Rumors and Lies about someone
 Making someone feel left out or rejected.
Why Children are Bullied?
Potential Risk Factors
 Difficulties with social skills/social competence and
self-esteem
 Lack of social support systems
 Children with special educational needs
Characteristics of Those who Bully
 Previously victimized or bullied
 Aggressive
 Lack of Empathy
 Often from families with low affection
 Often from families that use violence
Characteristics of Bullies
 Excited by their bullying behavior
 Enjoy feelings of power and control
 Enjoy causing pain
 Can be a below average, average or
above average student
 Lack compassion and empathy for their targets
Effects of Bullying on Bullies
 Increased risk of depression
 Higher risk of criminal activity
The importance of the Bystander
in Bullying Scenarios
 Bullying occurs in groups
 Bystanders key in either sustaining
or preventing bullying
 Bystanders often afraid of
becoming involved
Bystander Behavior
 Need social pressure to combat bullying
 More effective than condemnation from Authority
Role of Bystanders
 Assistants
 Reinforcers
 Outsiders
 Defenders
Bystander Behaviour
 9% - bystanders supported victim
 6% - bystanders attempted a resolution
 55% - bystanders did not respond to help
 7% - bystanders smiled/laughed
 24% - bystanders supported bully
(Tapper & Boulton, 2005)
Who is Target?
 Doesn’t fit in
 Physically weak
 Minority
 Facial appearance
 Clothing
 Emotional
 Overweight
 Good grades
Is Bullying a Part
of Childhood and Youth?
Children have the RIGHT TO BE SAFE
Types of Bullying:
Traditional
Cyber
Traditional Bullying:
– Occurs to children in places with little supervision
– Teachers/ Some Cultures TURN A BLIND EYE TO VERBAL
BULLYING
– Attention is often given to physical bullying
– Many Educators / Cultures believe children should cope with
bullying on their own
 “Toughen up” - “Speak Back” - “ Part of Growing Up”
Verbal Bullying - Types
 Verbal Bullying seen as mainly harmless by educators
 Verbal Bullying can be harder for victims to substantiate
 Cyber Bullying
– What’s different ?– What’s the Same ?
Differences and Similarities
Traditional Bullying and Cyber
 Discrimination in different forms always existed
 Abuse – did as well
 The internet makes them MORE VISABLE
All Bullying
 Power Imbalance Favors Perpetrators
 Targeted Students Draw Negative Attention from
their peers
 Exclusion and Isolation of Victims fortifies the
power of the perpetrators
 Perpetrator’s actions are not invited and not desired
 PERPETRATOR’S ACTIONS ARE RELENTLESS
Cyber Space and Bullying
 Cyber Space boundaries are not defined
 Bullying is verbal and written
 Permanent
 Replicated
 Perpetrators can be anonymous
 Social networking offers ‘play – ground’ for Bully talk
Practical Tools for Children and Youth:
Cyber Advice

Do not respond or engage

Try to identify the person responsible

Save abusive communications

Block Contact with the perpetrators

Communicate the incidents with responsible adults
Bullying and Gender
Boys and Girls
Bully in Characteristically Different Ways.
Anti-Bullying Interventions
Peer support approaches:
– Co-operative group work
– Circle Time
– Befriending/Buddy Schemes
– Circles of Friends
– Conflict resolution/mediation
– Peer Tutoring
– Peer Counselling
– Peer mentoring
Anti-Bullying Interventions
The No-Blame Approach - “Restorative Justice” :
– Interview bullied pupil
– Arrange a meeting for all pupils who are involved
– Explain the problem
– Share responsibility
– Identify solutions
– Let pupils take action themselves
– Meet them again
Anti-bullying Interventions
 Assertiveness Training for bullied pupils
– Body Language and eye contact
– Assertive Statements
– Resisting manipulation and threats
– Responding to name calling
– Enlisting support
 Developing a whole-school anti-bullying policy
As a Teacher and Educator:
Raise awareness of bullying and cyber-bullying:
– Talk with students
– Investigate reported cases
– Be involved with the online behavior of students
– State the unacceptability of this behavior
– Outline expectations
– Explain consequences
– Explain violence and cyber violence
as criminal acts with consequences
Activities
Activities for Teachers
to use in classroom
Literature
Required Readings:

Kirman, J. M. (2004). Using the theme of bullying to teach
about human rights in the social studies curriculum. McGill
Journal of Education, 39 (3),
327-341.