LETTER | Bullying in schools: A silent epidemic

LETTER | School bullying is pervasive in Malaysia, affecting students, teachers, parents, and guardians alike.

Despite increased efforts to combat it, bullying cases continue to emerge, particularly in boarding schools.

Unfortunately, most victims suffer in silence.

Recently, the news of a student strangling his little brother to death shocked the nation.

While it is essential to investigate and address the incident’s root cause, it is equally crucial to acknowledge the prevalence of bullying in schools and take necessary measures to prevent it.

Victims of bullying often suffer from physical and emotional trauma, leading to long-term effects on their mental health and academic performance.

Bullying can take many forms, including physical, verbal, and cyberbullying, and any of these can have severe repercussions for its victims.

Victims frequently report feeling anxious, depressed and having their academic performance suffer.

Furthermore, bullying acts often go unreported out of concern for reprisals, creating a culture of silence and perpetuating the cycle of abuse.

It is unacceptable that these cases are not being addressed and that victims are not receiving the support they need.

The education ministry must take a proactive approach to combat bullying in schools, be it boarding schools or whatnot.

This includes implementing stricter policies and regulations, providing counselling services for victims, and educating students, teachers, parents, and guardians on the impact of bullying.

Imbalances in power

Creating a safe and supportive environment for victims to come forward and report incidents without fear of retaliation is also crucial.

Bullying is never okay, and it is time for the new government to take action to protect these students.

Let us not wait for another tragedy to occur before addressing this issue.

Bullying is a persistent form of unwelcome and hostile conduct and has historically been associated with imbalances in power.

It is done on purpose, and its physically or psychologically harmful.

Bullying often targets individuals who are considered weak than the perpetrators.

Various methods are often used as a bullying tactic, for instance, insulting, name-calling, intimidating, ostracising, and spreading nasty rumours.

Bullying happens when the perpetrator believes that it is the practical and fastest way to get what they want.

Psychologically, being bullied will cause the victim to experience symptoms of emotional imbalance, such as anxiety and depression.

This situation also might lead the victims to develop paranoia, which can be best described as feeling threatened without or with little evidence.

This caused most students to feel terrified to attend school. Bullying victims often show aggressive behaviour towards anyone they perceive as having less power as a medium to release emotional stress.

The rise in student bullying cases is also attributable to misunderstandings and misinformation about bullying behaviour among teachers and students.

Wrong strategy

Many often link bullying events to gang culture or school fights.

As a result of this misunderstanding, we sometimes punish bullying victims for the behaviour of bullies.

This demonstrates that we used the wrong strategy to handle the problem.

Furthermore, in certain boarding schools, dormitory wardens perceive and accept bullying incidents in the dormitories as the norm or part of dormitory life.

Taking bullying as a cultural aspect of dormitory life is a misguided assumption and leads to actions that overlook the bullying issue in the dormitories.

This perpetuates the culture of bullying, especially among senior students, towards junior students in the school dormitories.

Therefore, teachers and students must understand what constitutes bullying behaviour to address this problem best.

One crucial issue that needs addressing is the lack of understanding among teenagers regarding the adverse effects of bullying.

Therefore, schools must implement comprehensive anti-bullying initiatives that foster tolerance, respect, and empathy.

Teachers may help students develop a compassionate and understanding culture by including such values in the curriculum.

Teachers can play their role by educating students about the detrimental consequences of bullying and instilling empathy in them.

By incorporating lessons on empathy, conflict resolution, and communication skills, educators can equip students with the necessary tools to navigate challenging social situations and foster a culture of kindness and inclusion within the school community.

Eradicate

Additionally, providing opportunities for open discussions, peer support programs, and promoting positive role models can further reinforce the importance of respect and empathy in mitigating the prevalence of bullying.

Schools must actively train teachers to recognise bullying and equip them with the necessary resources for effective intervention.

They are essential in fostering a safe environment where kids feel at ease reporting events and asking for assistance.

Gaining students’ trust is crucial because it motivates them to speak up and actively participate in efforts to eradicate bullying in their schools.

When students have faith in their teachers, they are more inclined to confide in them about bullying incidents, enabling prompt support and interventions.

Building trust also gives students the confidence to speak out against bullying, encourage a healthy peer culture, and form a unified front to make schools safe and inclusive.

Bullying will not be resolved by one side only. Besides, schools and teachers, parents, and society must curb this issue together.

Parents should pay attention to their child's needs and observe if there is any abnormal behaviour portrayed.

So that any mental health-related problems can be adequately addressed.

Parents or friends also can always ask and talk to the victims so they don't feel alone.

As a concerned society, the public who sees or witnesses any bullying act should stop it so that it does not become a severe cancer of humanity.

Creating a positive support system will also increase the victims’ self-confidence and self-esteem to renounce.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.