18 August 2021
St Helena Police are currently conducting an education and awareness programme for the local community. Each week a different topic will be aired on local radio stations, issued via information releases and posted on Social Media.
This week’s topic is Bullying At School:
St Helena Police have been working with Island schools following concerns of repeated bullying. The following provides information for children who might be affected by bullying.
What is bullying?
Bullying affects lots of people and can happen anywhere – at school, travelling to and from school, in sporting teams, in friendship or family groups or in the workplace.
There is no legal definition of bullying. But it is usually defined as repeated behaviour which is intended to hurt someone either emotionally or physically, and is often aimed at certain people because of their race, religion, gender or sexual orientation or any other aspect such as appearance or disability.
Bullying can take many forms including:
Physical assault
Social bullying
Threatening behaviour
Name calling
Cyberbullying.
If you are being bullied at school, tell a friend, tell a teacher and tell your parents. It can be hard to do this so if you don’t feel you can do it in person it might be easier to write a note to your parents explaining how you feel, or perhaps confide in someone outside the immediate family, like a grandparent, aunt, uncle or cousin and ask them to help you tell your parents what’s going on.
If you feel able to, please confide in a teacher you trust. You can ask a friend to come with you so you do not feel alone. Don’t be tempted to respond to any bullying or hit back because you could get hurt or get into trouble.
Bullying includes:
People calling you names
Making things up to get you into trouble
Hitting, pinching, biting, pushing and shoving
Taking things away from you
Damaging your belongings
Stealing your money
Taking your friends away from you or leaving you out
Posting insulting messages or rumours, in person or online
Threats and intimidation
Making silent or abusive phone calls
Sending you offensive texts or messages.
Try to stay in safe areas of the school at break and lunchtime where there are plenty of other people. If you are hurt at school, tell a teacher immediately and ask for it to be written down. Make sure you tell your parents.
As hard as it is, do not retaliate as you may get into trouble too.
This information has been adapted from Bullying.co.uk. Please visit this website for further information.
SHG
18 August 2021