School violence and school bullying are now considered a social problem and these terms are used to describe a situation in which systematic, deliberate and repeated violence is used, as well as aggressive behavior aimed at enforcing, suppressing and causing physical and mental pain to students by their classmates, inside and outside school. Domestic violence, starts from many different causes, manifests itself in different ways, in varying intensity, causing intense stress, low self-esteem, insecurity, phobias, etc. and seriously injures the child’s soul.
The most common manifestations of intra-school violence are:
- Gestures, pushes, beatings
- Verbal attacks, threats, insults
- Extortion, destruction, theft of personal belongings
- Sexual harassment and abuse
- Exclusion from groups, games, activities
When a child is bullied at school, they often show, among other things, a low mood or refusal to go to school, an unexpected learning drop that is reflected in falling grades, it is a bad mood, during breaks he spends his time in the classroom or around teachers and offices he changes routes to and from school, has unexplained marks and bruises on his body or other signs of attack while avoiding explaining how they happened, presents sudden changes in his mood, complains of psychosomatic problems.
When it is found that a child has been the victim of school blackmail, this should be reported immediately to the appropriate school teacher in order to address the situation. For his part, the parent should pay special attention to the issue and talk to his child. Assure him that he will not be hurt if he tells him what is happening, explaining that as a parent he will protect it and encourage it in conversation.
However, in the effective prevention and treatment of the occurrence of violence between students, it is necessary to involve all the competent bodies and to design and implement specific programs aimed at its elimination.
Useful tips for parents
When parents find out that their child has been bullied at school, they must act immediately and without wasting time! They have to pay special attention to the issue and talk to it. Assure him that he will not be hurt if he tells them what is happening, explaining that as parents they will protect it.
Here are some helpful tips to help you get started:
- Never tell your child to ignore bullying or take any responsibility. Instead, encourage him to talk and encourage him to talk.
- Explain to him that bullying is unacceptable and that he is not to blame for anything, so he should talk to you.
- Do not encourage your child to confront the perpetrator, control your own emotions and handle the situation discreetly.
Contact the responsible school teacher IMMEDIATELY and bring the incident to his attention to address the situation. Work closely with the responsible teacher to solve the problem.
- Encourage your child to develop extracurricular interests that will help them become (mentally) empowered and socialize with students who are friendlier to them.
- Work closely with the responsible teacher to solve the problem.
Consult specialists.
What is not school bullying:
When the parties involved are of equal strength and not unequal, due to number, physique, social status, culture, then it is a conflict, perhaps violent, but not intimidating behavior.
In addition to equality of power, there is also a similar emotional reaction, which means that both students are angry (middle photo) and not like in bullying where the target student is afraid and unable to defend himself.
There is also the case of teasing, where students make jokes with each other while both are really having fun.
Remember that effective intervention and prevention are important elements in tackling violence among students.
Source: www.ert.gr