What is bullying?
Anti-bullying Alliance definition of bullying:
‘The repetitive, intentional hurting of one person or group by another person or group, where the relationship involves and imbalance of power. Bullying can be physical, verbal or psychological. It can happen face-to-face or online.'
Please click on the link to find out more:
Conform Aliantei Anti-bullying definitia bullying-ului este:
Ranirea repetitiva si intentionata a unei persoane sau a unui grup de catre o alta persoana sau grup, unde relatia implica un dezechilibru de putere. Bullying-ul poate fi fizic, verbal sau psihologic. Poate avea loc fata in fata sau online.
Conflict vs Bullying – what’s the difference?
According to PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Centre….
Conflict
Natural part of human relationships
Happens between two people who are equal in the relationship (e.g. friends, classmates, co-workers) but have different points of view
Sometimes escalates into a disagreement that’s so strong people become really emotional
There might be strong words used and lots of big feelings
Both sides usually want the issue to be resolved
Both sides wan the relationship to continue in a healthy way*
Neither wants to keep hurting the other
*Sometimes, conflict can even be helpful in a relationship that needs to change, providing an opportunity to improve something that’s not going right between the parties.
Bullying
The person (or group of people) doing the bullying means to hurt the other person
The hurt/ harm is done on purpose to make the target feel less of a person
There is always something unequal about the relationship between the two people e.g. the person bullying is physically stronger and creates fear because of that, or they might be more popular and has social power
The power is used to make the other person feel less than who they are
This treatment is not wanted or deserved
Bullying behaviour is usually repeated or threatened to be repeated over and over
Bullying scenarios might look like this: Someone convinces a group to tease another student based on their looks; someone threatens to beat a person up because of how they talk; somebody posts something untrue and hurtful online about someone else; or someone trips a classmate and makes everyone laugh at the person falling down. The harm is done deliberately and the intent is to cause the other person to suffer in some way.
Remember, bullying is not the same as conflict. Bullying is meant to cause hurt or harm. Bullying is not something that anyone deserves to have happen to them and they have the right to feel safe.
If you are worried about your child, please speak to your child’s class teacher/ teaching assistant