This Week in Human Rights News

Bullying and cyberbullying among children

Sources: Human Rights Watch, UN News, UNESCO, StopBullying.gov

• On Thursday, the International Day against Violence and Bullying at School Including Cyberbullying, the UN highlighted the importance of raising awareness of the bullying and violence that many children face in schools all over the world. They also highlighted the need to put a stop to these two issues. 

• Bullying is defined as aggressive behaviour that involves unwanted, negative actions repeated over time and an imbalance of power or strength between the perpetrators and the victims.

• 1 in 3 students experiences bullying and physical violence at least once a month, and 1 in 10 a victim of cyberbullying.

• According to United Nations agencies, more than 246 million children suffer gender-based violence in or around schools every year.

Bullying

• Bullying takes several forms: 

  • Physical bullying - more common among boys (according to UNESCO);

  • Psychological bullying - more common among girls (according to UNESCO); and

  • Sexual bullying - hostile sexual jokes, comments, or gestures.

• Students reported that a person’s physical appearance is the most common cause of bullying, followed by their race, nationality or skin colour.

• Girls, children with disabilities, refugee children, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students frequently experience high levels of violence and bullying. 

• Violence against these children often receives little attention because of prevailing discriminatory and harmful attitudes that perpetuate silence and impunity.

Cyberbullying

• UNESCO attributes the rise of cyberbullying to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

• With young people and students now “living, learning and socialising online”, they are more vulnerable to both bullying and cyberbullying. 

• Cyberbullying includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false or mean content, or personal and private information about someone else on digital devices through social media, text, forums, and games. 

• Human Rights Watch and the UN both note that while bullying is most often carried out by other students, in some cases teachers and school staff are believed to be responsible.

• The consequences of bullying can have devastating consequences on academic achievement, school dropout, and physical and mental health.