Bullying is the act of discriminating against and harassing a student or colleague because of their nature, religious practices, ethnic group, white colour, perceived race or actual race, sexual orientation, gender, disability or nation of origin by school employees, the workforce or by any other person. Bullying often occurs at schools but is not restricted to with and can be seen in every walk of life. It is the responsibility of every institution and school to create an environment that is safe and free from harassment and discrimination. The institutions above-mentioned must also make sure that the employees must also follow these guidelines.
Bullying can take several forms and usually includes:
- Physical bullying: hitting, kicking, pinching, or any form of physical violence perpetrated against an individual
- Verbal bullying: name-calling, insulting, or any kind of direct emotional or psychological abuse intentionally infected on an individual
- Indirect bullying: creating unnecessary rumours about individuals is also considered harassment and bullying
- Cyberbullying: bullying that takes place on an electronic medium, especially on social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and other social media websites may be classified as cyberbullying
Legally, it is illegal to discriminate against a person based on their way of life, gender, sex, actual perceived race, national origin, ethnic group, etc. and therefore all types of bullying are illegal. It is important to note that bullying is never considered a positive trait in a person and that it is something that affects any person of any age and any gender or sex. However, it is also essential to know that feeling is not something innate in a person and say learnt behaviour that is taught for experienced at home or school.
It is estimated that more than 160,000 children are afraid to go to school because of fear of attack or intimidation by other students. Most of the bullying that is done at schools is verbal, but physical bullying is also prevalent. According to a recent survey, 71 per cent of students report incidents of bullying as a problem in the school.
People from the LGBTQ+ community are the worst affected when it comes to bullying. A 2007 study stated that 9 out of 10 LGBT youth have reported being verbally harassed at school because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Bullying can lead to some profound consequences, Lake poor performance in academic and school failure, poor mental and psychological health, delinquency and poor peer relationships. Therefore, irrespective of whether the law is illegal or not it is the responsibility of every citizen of a country to avoid bullying a person, however weird or uncomfortable they make you feel.