Whether you’re a citizen or you hail from another country, the reality is that everyone can be bullied. Children, in particular, are prone to being bullied. Schools do take steps to prevent bullying, but, often, they’re not enough to stop the physical and emotional harm that comes to the victims.
It’s important to know that children have rights, and they can take steps to protect themselves if they’re being bullied. To address those cases, you first have to know what kind of bullying is taking place.
1. Cyberbullying
One of the newer kinds of bullying is cyberbullying. With cyberbullying, children or teens find themselves bullied online, on social media and through digital means. This might be through text messages, video calls or other digital means, not just over social platforms like Facebook or Twitter.
Kids can stay safe against cyberbullying by avoiding saying or doing anything online or through digital means that they would not want someone else to share. That includes sharing photos or videos.
2. Physical bullying and harassment
Physical bullying and harassment can be devastating, especially when it leads to injuries. The good news is that physical injuries are often easy to identify, so it’s possible to identify what kinds of injuries your child is suffering from and then to document them for a lawsuit or case against the bully. Minors need to report any bullying that leads to injuries.
3. Threats and threatening behavior
Threatening behavior is hard to deal with, because there isn’t always strong evidence against the person responsible. It might seem that someone is threatening, for instance, when they don’t intend to be. However, there are times when threats and threatening behavior are obvious, like if you’re receiving threatening letters, emails, phone calls or text messages.
These digital items (and physical papers) can be used as evidence so long as you can prove who sent them to you. It’s important to keep the school informed about the threats you’ve received and to do all you can to protect yourself as you come to and from school each day. If the threats are deemed serious enough, speaking with the local police is in order.
Bullying is exhausting and often difficult to prove. However, it’s in everyone’s best interests to keep children safe when they’re at school. It’s better to be safe than sorry, so speak up and reach out if your child, or you, suffer from bulling.
