UNESCO already said it: bullying affects one in three students worldwide. However, these data are aggravated in Spain, since the country heads the European list of bullying with the highest number of cases.
According to experts, the fight to end this plague is in the hands of the students themselves, their families and educational centers, the latter being the most important in curbing this problem.
Bullying is a form of aggression or harassment that can be physical, verbal, or relational. These events are repeated over time causing the victim to lose the power to defend themselves or alert an adult. This problem seriously affects children, adolescents and their families, since bullying reduces their self-esteem, their health, their academic performance and their way of relating to others, thus living in constant fear and, in the worst cases, Serious, it can even lead to suicide.
This phenomenon has become stronger in recent years, not only in the number of cases, but also in its forms of expression. According to the latest report published by Mutua Madrileña and Fundación ANAR, one in ten Spanish students was a victim of harassment last year. As if that were not enough, the digital environment in which we live today is further aggravating this problem, causing bullying to leave the classroom, reach their homes and go everywhere with them.
Cyber bullying
The main difference between cyberbullying and bullying lies in the place where it occurs. While children who are bullied at school may feel safe at home; Victims of cyberbullying can never feel peace of mind as they can always be contacted via email, messages or comments on social media. Children and adolescents spend several hours in front of their mobile devices and computers, so the risk of cyberbullying is constantly increasing. According to a survey conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs, one in five families worldwide admit that at least one of their children has experienced cyberbullying at some point in their life. Cyberbullying is therefore much more pervasive and bullying can be more serious, since in most cases the attacks are anonymous and cause more anxiety for the victim.
school performance
Bullying has a direct effect on the academic performance of both the bully and the victim. According to the data presented by the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), it is estimated that bullying has a negative impact on all the skills evaluated during the study, such as: mathematics, science and reading comprehension. This negative effect is equivalent to a loss of three to five months of formal education for all victimized students compared to students who do not suffer any type of bullying. This represents 30% or 50% less education in the school year compared to their peers. Along these lines, Antonia Martí Aras, Director of the University Master’s Degree in Bullying and Mediation at VIU, mentions that: “a student victim of bullying presents a psychopathological picture whose most common symptoms are depressed mood, anxiety, somatizations, fears or problems of sleep. All of this obviously affects performance and learning.” School bullying is a new obstacle to the teaching-learning process, which can generate poorer academic performance and lead, in the short term, to increased rates of school failure, absenteeism and, in the worst case, dropout. of the studies. In the long term, this problem could cause loss of educational and employment opportunities. Antonia also warns that in specific cases “there are hardly any symptoms that arouse the suspicion that the minor is being harassed… neither in notes, nor in visible symptomatology. Children learn to hide it for fear of reprisals and live it very quietly and alone” .
How to act?
The most important step is not to underestimate the problem or ignore it. the task of being able to eradicate this problem is not limited only to student authorities and teachers, parents are a fundamental piece in the fight against school violence, they must be involved in the education of children. From home it should be taught what bullying is and why it should not be exercised. For Antonia “the most important thing is to be attentive to changes in routines or habits”. Along these same lines, Esmeralda Velasco, counselor at the European College of Madrid, points out that: “it is extremely important to raise awareness among all the social agents that make up the educational environment (family, teachers, students) to keep their eyes open and alert to possible situations that could lead to a case of harassment”. Faced with this panorama, teachers have had to change their role in the classroom, since they spend a lot of time with the students and this makes them know them well and know what situation they are in. The most common signs that teachers manage to identify are usually: nervousness, fear, sadness, refusal to go to class, as well as lack of interest in performing group tasks in the classroom. Velasco points out that “constant training of teaching staff is necessary in this area, so that they know what strategies they have to avoid any negative situation that may occur within the center.” Finally, children must be motivated so that they can develop their own character, just as the family must be kept informed about the activities and about everything that happens in their environment. This is the most appropriate way to be able to detect a situation of harassment in time.
lethal consequences
Bullying or bullying is currently, according to the latest WHO report, the direct cause of more than 200,000 suicides worldwide, of young people between 14 and 28 years old. Physical abuse is the most frequent type in all regions and globally, 16.1% of children and young people who have been bullied say they have been hit, kicked, pushed or locked somewhere.
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