Post by MamaCrossroads on Feb 20, 2018 17:21:07 GMT
View article here: educateempowerkids.org/giving-a-voice-to-bullying-victims/
Giving a Voice to Bullying Victims
By Megan Steyskal-Rondeau
“There’s the crazy girl.”
Am I crazy?
“Don’t talk to her, she doesn’t deserve anything.”
I don’t deserve anything…
“Don’t let her sit next to you…pass it on.”
No one will sit with me, or play with me, or be my friend.
“You’re crazy, Crazy Maddie!”
Maybe I am crazy. I’m different so maybe that’s the same thing.
Why is this happening to me?
I’m just six.
At six years old Maddie is not only being verbally bullied at school but also coping with relational aggression; a type of emotional bullying. There are in fact six types of bullying and it is not uncommon for a victim to be assaulted with several forms.
Physical Bullying is when physical actions are used to gain power and control over a target. Of all the forms of bullying, this is the most obvious form and the easiest to identify.
Verbal Bullying is when words, statements and name-calling are used to gain power over a target. Typically verbal bullies will use relentless insults to belittle, demean and hurt another person. Targets are chosen based on the way they look, act, behave or are children with special needs. Simply “ignoring” should never be advice given to the victim as the words do have significant impact and can leave deep, emotional scars.
Relational Aggression is a more sneaky and insidious form of bullying. It often goes unnoticed by parents and teachers. Relational bullies often ostracize others from a group, spread rumors, manipulate situations and break confidences.
Cyberbullying happens when technology is used to harass, threaten, embarrass or target another person via emails, texts, facebook and other internet apps. This new form of bullying is becoming more widespread because bullies can harass their targets with much less risk of being caught.
Prejudicial Bullying is based on prejudices towards people of different races, religions or sexual orientation. This form can also encompass one or more of the other types of bullying. When a target is singled out, the severity of the bullying can open the door to hate crimes.
Sexual Bullying is repeated, harmful and humiliating actions that target a person sexually such as sexual name-calling, crude comments, vulgar gestures, uninvited touching, sexual propositioning and pornographic materials. In extreme cases sexual bullying leads to sexual assault (Gordon, 2015).
So why didn’t Maddie tell her teacher or her mother about the bullying? Sadly, most victims do not tell anyone, especially adults, when they have been bullied. For most telling about the abuse is embarrassing and painful. Plus many children fear that telling an adult will only make the situation worse.
What are the signs? ...
View the rest of the article here: educateempowerkids.org/giving-a-voice-to-bullying-victims/
Giving a Voice to Bullying Victims
By Megan Steyskal-Rondeau
“There’s the crazy girl.”
Am I crazy?
“Don’t talk to her, she doesn’t deserve anything.”
I don’t deserve anything…
“Don’t let her sit next to you…pass it on.”
No one will sit with me, or play with me, or be my friend.
“You’re crazy, Crazy Maddie!”
Maybe I am crazy. I’m different so maybe that’s the same thing.
Why is this happening to me?
I’m just six.
At six years old Maddie is not only being verbally bullied at school but also coping with relational aggression; a type of emotional bullying. There are in fact six types of bullying and it is not uncommon for a victim to be assaulted with several forms.
Physical Bullying is when physical actions are used to gain power and control over a target. Of all the forms of bullying, this is the most obvious form and the easiest to identify.
Verbal Bullying is when words, statements and name-calling are used to gain power over a target. Typically verbal bullies will use relentless insults to belittle, demean and hurt another person. Targets are chosen based on the way they look, act, behave or are children with special needs. Simply “ignoring” should never be advice given to the victim as the words do have significant impact and can leave deep, emotional scars.
Relational Aggression is a more sneaky and insidious form of bullying. It often goes unnoticed by parents and teachers. Relational bullies often ostracize others from a group, spread rumors, manipulate situations and break confidences.
Cyberbullying happens when technology is used to harass, threaten, embarrass or target another person via emails, texts, facebook and other internet apps. This new form of bullying is becoming more widespread because bullies can harass their targets with much less risk of being caught.
Prejudicial Bullying is based on prejudices towards people of different races, religions or sexual orientation. This form can also encompass one or more of the other types of bullying. When a target is singled out, the severity of the bullying can open the door to hate crimes.
Sexual Bullying is repeated, harmful and humiliating actions that target a person sexually such as sexual name-calling, crude comments, vulgar gestures, uninvited touching, sexual propositioning and pornographic materials. In extreme cases sexual bullying leads to sexual assault (Gordon, 2015).
So why didn’t Maddie tell her teacher or her mother about the bullying? Sadly, most victims do not tell anyone, especially adults, when they have been bullied. For most telling about the abuse is embarrassing and painful. Plus many children fear that telling an adult will only make the situation worse.
What are the signs? ...
View the rest of the article here: educateempowerkids.org/giving-a-voice-to-bullying-victims/