HOW TO DEAL WITH BULLYING

From the school playground to the internet, bullying is a widespread problem that can affect your child’s mental and emotional health. 



Western Cape Minister of Education Debbie Schäfer has urged parents and learners to report incidents of bullying. “It saddens me both as a parent and the provincial minister for education that bullying is a real issue in many of our schools.” She said parents are key to identifying behavioural changes in their children.


What is bullying?

Bullying is when a child or a group of children abuse their power to hurt others. Parents should remember that both the bully and the child being bullied need help.

What are the signs of bullying?

Bullying can be identified by the following types of behaviour:

  • deliberate aggression,
  • an unbalanced power relationship between the bully and the victim, and
  • the causing of physical pain and/or emotional anxiety.

A bully can be identified by the following behaviours:

  • they are aggressive and get into fights often, and
  • they never take responsibility for their actions.

What are the effects of bullying? 

There are many effects of bullying that you can look out for. These include: 

  • faking illnesses to avoid having to attend school,
  • a low self-esteem,
  • social isolation,
  • unexplained bruises and injuries,
  • becomes upset after using the internet or cellphone, and
  • becomes very secretive about online activities.


What are the different types of bullying?

There are four main types of bullying that you should look out for:

What are the consequences of bullying?

There are many effects of bullying that you can look out for. They include:

Prevention of bullying

Once bullying has been identified, it is important to address the situation as soon as possible with the school, where appropriate measures and actions can be discussed and implemented.The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has provided guidelines to schools on how to deal with bullying. Schools need to deal with bullying in terms of codes of conduct and intervene appropriately to support the victim and to change the behaviour of the culprit.

Districts provide training and support on this issue as part of broader support on disciplinary issues.Teachers can use the following guidelines to prevent bullying:
 

Support to the victim

Support to the victims of bullying is provided through:

Cyber bullying

If your child has a cellphone, he/she may be at risk of being cyber bullied. Bullying may occur through social networks, SMSes or emails. You can support your child by using the guidelines provided by South African Police Service (SAPS) listed below:

Help for bullies

It is important to remember that the bully often comes from a background where there is insecurity, little parent involvement, and inconsistency in actions of parents. 

These learners are often subjected to physical punishment and emotional outbursts. Before formal counselling is necessary, the bully must come to the realisation that his/her behaviour is always going to have negative consequences until the behaviour is changed.

Helpful questions for the bully:

The bully must learn the following:

Getting help

You don’t need to deal with bullying on your own. Reach out to your loved ones or use the WCED’s Safe Schools hotline, available to teachers, learners and parents, to report abuse.

WCED Safe Schools hotline: 0800 45 46 47


Latest Posts from:

SA WEBBOOK

15 INJURED IN TAXI COLLISION IN KHAYELITSHA IN THE WESTERN CAPE.

15 INJURED IN TAXI COLLISION IN KHAYELITSHA IN THE WESTERN CAPE.

TAXI ACCIDENT A total of 15 people were left injured after a taxi collision occurred on the corners of Baden Powell Road and Oscar Mpetha Road in Kyalitsha in… Read more


APRIL 2, 2016: FATAL MOTOR VEHICLE CRASH IN PINELANDS WESTERN CAPE

April 2, 2016: FATAL MOTOR VEHICLE CRASH IN PINELANDS WESTERN CAPE

(Previous Article Title: DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT THIS PHOTO?) UPDATE We received this image from an unknown source via e-mail. No name or any information were… Read more


SA POLICEMAN KILLED IN HIGH SPEED CRASH, WESTVILLE

SA POLICEMAN KILLED IN HIGH SPEED CRASH, WESTVILLE

A thirty year old South African Police Services member has been killed in a high speed collision on the M19 highway in the vicinity of Westville this afternoon. Crisis Medical paramedics arrived on… Read more


MANHUNT UNDERWAY AFTER BUS DRIVER IS MURDERED

MANHUNT UNDERWAY AFTER BUS DRIVER IS MURDERED

A police man hunt is underway after a bus driver was shot and killed whilst driving in Tongaat this morning. Crisis Medical paramedics along with other emergency services were called to the scene on the Watson Highway shortly after 6:30am…  Read more


7 PEOPLE DIED IN HORROR CRASH BETWEEN MONTAGUE & ROBERTSON

( No Title )

WESTERN CAPE: Seven were killed in an accident when the driver of a light-motor-vehicle lost control and the vehicle left the road, rolled and burst into flames. This accident…
Read more


MITCHELLS PLAIN HEAD-ON-COLLISION CLAIMS 4 LIVES

( No Title )

4 people were killed earlier today in a head on collision on Morgenster Street near Swartklip in Mitchells Plain. Shortly before 10am paramedics from ER24 and local emergency services arrived on the scene where…
Read more