Anyone can experience bullying, and at any time; whether that be at home, school, work or online. Children and young people who are bullied are more at risk of developing mental health problems such as depression and anxiety, and over half of lesbian, gay and bisexual young people have experienced homophobic bullying at school.* This year’s theme for National Anti-Bullying week is ‘Power for Good’, which aims to tackle the issue by encouraging people of all ages and backgrounds to take individual and collective action against bullying where they find it. This could include…
Starting with yourself Not everybody that bullies is aware that they’re doing it. Making sure you understand what constitutes as bullying; including physical, verbal, social and cyber bullying, can help you identify if you’re behaving in this way towards other people. The best way to avoid bullying yourself is to remember that everyone is deserving of respect, thinking before you speak or do something that may hurt someone, taking responsibility for personal mistakes when they occur, and apologising to those you have hurt.
Standing up to bullying Bullies thrive with support, so make sure you avoid encouraging them. If you ever become a witness to bullying, make it clear that their behaviour is unacceptable, for example by saying so clearly and directly. If speaking up is going to put your personal safety at risk, you could take a stand by simply walking away with the victim.
Offering support and friendship to victims Bullying can make the lives of its victim’s miserable. As well as undermining a person’s sense of security and self-confidence, those that are being bullied often feel isolated, anxious and frightened. The best thing you can do as a person is to offer support and comfort to victims during this time, and let them know that they’re not alone.
Encouraging victims to speak out Victims might feel reluctant to speak up about what they’re going through out of fear of how the bully will respond, however the problem cannot be solved if nobody knows about it. You can help people speak out by encouraging them to confide in someone they trust, and by making them aware of the many people they can talk to that will support them, such as teachers, parents, friends and colleagues. You could also support them by accompanying them when they decide to speak out; and acting as witness to the bullying when necessary.
Finding the right policies Having a greater understanding of your college, school or company policy in relation to bullying can help you take the right course of action if you, or somebody you know, ever becomes a victim of bullying. This will ensure that problems are identified and resolved as quickly as possible.
If you have any concern about your wellbeing, safety or rights, please reach out to someone. The College has a zero tolerance policy towards abuse, harassment and bullying, and there are many people that can help to support you and resolve any issues. In the first instance you can talk to your tutor; a member of the Customer Advice Team (CAT) or a designated safeguarding officer. More information on bullying can be found at www.bullying.co.uk