BULLYING
THERE ARE FOUR DIFFERENT FORMS OF BULLYING:
VERBAL:
Involves- mocking, name calling, making sexist, homophobic or racist remarks.
PHYSICAL:
Shoving, stealing, hitting, or damaging of one’s property
ELECTRONIC/CYBER BULLYING:
Spreading rumors, or hurtful comments via electronic devices
SOCIAL:
Involves gossip, spreading rumors or excluding others from a group.
BASIC ELEMENTS:
UNEQUAL POWER:
One child has power over another child (or it is perceived this way to the children involved)
HURTFUL ACTIONS:
Physically or psychologically harmful behaviour takes place (such as name-calling, insults, threats, hitting, kicking, punching etc.)
DIRECT OR INDIRECT ACTIONS:
The abusive behaviour may be face-to-face or done behind a child’ s back (ie: exclusion, teasing, gossiping and spreading rumors)
REPETITIVE BEHAVIOUR:
The hurtful actions continue therefore, the child being affected finds it increasingly difficult to escape.
The government of Canada defines bullying as:
“Willful, repeated aggressive behaviour with negative intent used by a child to maintain power over another child” The result being: “A victimized child caught in an abusive relationship.”