Dubai: Bullying is a prevalent form of child abuse. The trauma caused by bullying could make the victim even more vulnerable to other severe forms of abuse, experts say.
While education authorities dismiss bullying as a rather insignificant phenomenon, experts fear that the taboo nature of the topic and lack of enthusiasm in reporting to higher authorities may be the reason for its presence being less obvious.
The severity and frequency of bullying in Dubai schools are, arguably, far less when compared to many other countries in the world, they said.
"Bullying is a prevalent form of child abuse", Andrea Al Balawi, programmes and research director at the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children (DFWAC) said.
DFWAC defines child abuse as the exposure to a direct or indirect form of maltreatment ranging from physical, emotional, psychological and sexual.
Empowerment
She stressed the importance of educating the children about abuse to empower them.
"Child abusers cut across social, academic, ethnic and religious backgrounds. And they could be anyone from family members, to acquaintances, peers or complete strangers", Al Balawi warned.
It is critical to focus on the subtle forms of bullying, said Dr Rajeshree Singhania, a Neurodevelopmental Paediatrician.
"The more physical kinds of bullying and violence come to the surface more often. But what is equally worrying and damaging is the more subtle forms", she said.
Rejection, non-verbal and verbal put downs, ignoring someone, sniggering, cyber-bullying and racial bullying are some forms.
"Schools, which tacitly condone it, breed it. They need to recognise the problem and be committed to solving it", Singhania urged.
A former victim of school bullying, Lara Humam said comments passed by her bullies kept nagging her through her initial years at college. "It took me very long to get over the nasty comments they passed at me. I was very conscious about my self and found it very difficult to make friends", said Humam.
Experts say that bullying can lead to suicide, depression and violence. Parents should watch for refusal to attend school, sudden academic failure, loss of books and other property, unexplained bruises and difficulties in sleeping or eating.
Do you know if this is happening in your child’s school? Do you think schools are doing enough to stop it? How do you think they should handle bullying?
