Bullying, a curse in society

Modern society has many a vice. One such vice is bullying. Bullying is a form of aggressive behaviour in which a person or a group intentionally and repeatedly hurts another person or a group, and it can be physical, verbal or psychological.

The act of bullying can happen face-to-face or online. It is one of the prime challenges children face in schools nowadays. Bullying happens all over the world. It can be in the form of children's humiliation, mistreatment, physical attacks, and in some extreme cases, sexual violence of young female learners. 

The causes of bullying are many. The cultural factor is one of the many causes of bullying. Individuals’ race and ethnicity are included here. Children who belong to racial minorities are often bullied by children belonging to racial majorities. Again, high expectations of parents can be too stressful for some children, and as a result, these children sometimes express their frustrations and anger by shouting or bullying fellow learners.

Furthermore, envy towards someone or a sense of inferiority can lead to bullying. The report shows that children from dysfunctional families often bully other children. Besides, in some cases, craving for attention and the desire to be perceived as brave and confident one intends to bully. In addition, a lack of compassion and empathy towards others can result in bullying.

Some students who tend to bully others have low self-esteem. They try to compensate for this feeling by picking on others and a sense of accomplishment through bullying. The effects of bullying on a child are very traumatizing. First of all, for the victims of bullying, being bullied can increase anxiety, depression, and loneliness and lead to eating disorders and substance abuse.

Being bullied can also affect mental health and increase suicide risks. It can also result in decreased academic achievements. Normal development of the victims would hamper and might lead to growing up with low self-esteem. Most importantly, bullied victims may grow up to be abusive individuals putting themselves and others at risk.

This bullying problem must be addressed carefully in schools, or ensuring a learner-friendly educational environment would be challenging. A collaborative and participatory approach to addressing this problem is essential. Only a combined effort from the teachers, parents, and policymakers would work to eradicate this social problem.

Every cause of bullying needs to be identified and addressed. The school administration would ensure a zero-tolerance policy for any instance of bullying. On the other hand, parents should be careful not to engage in any behaviour that can result in bullying. Every possible mitigating measure should be taken to stop bullying and make schools safe for children.