Islamabad: Bullying at schools can cause long-term damage to the personalities of both the abuser and the victim.
It not only shatters the confidence of the bullied child, it also does psychological harm to the bully.
Bullying can also threaten students’ physical and emotional safety at schools, and negatively impact their ability to learn.
Causes and effects of bullying as pointed out by a psychiatrist Dr Nabeela Majid are: low self-confidence, depression, abnormal fears and worries, sleep disorders, nervousness, frequent crying, bed-wetting, poor appetite or digestive problems, school problems and rage.
Bullied child Zainab Noor said she feared her old-friend-turned bully.
The issue, an academician advised, should be handled subtly, and help extended to the victim to help her overcome her fear.
Another academician said the case history of the bully should be traced so the cause of his/her behaviour can be discerned.
She added the best way to address bullying is to stop it before it starts.
A teacher’s advice to kids was to always portray their confidence through body language — standing tall and straight, looking into a person’s eyes while speaking to them — clear voice, and by being neat and tidy.
There are a number of things school staff can do to make schools safer and prevent bullying, she added.
According to research, when adults address the issue quickly and consistently, they send the message that bullying is not acceptable. This can stop bullying behaviour overtime.
The findings of research were endorsed by the mother of a bullied child, Samina Durrani, who said: ”when I noticed my child was being bullied at school by classmates, I immediately contacted the school administration.”
“I got the issue resolved with the grace of Allah Almighty,” she said, adding the school administration responded positively and solved the issue.
When asked about how she came to know that her child was being bullied, she said, her child told her.
Psychiatrists say kids who are bullied can experience negative physical, school and mental health issues.
Kids who are bullied are more likely to experience depression, and anxiety, increased feelings of sadness and loneliness, show changes in sleep and eating patterns and loss of interest in activities they once enjoyed.
