Day Five: Freeing Children from Bullying

Did you know that 6 out of 10 American teens witness bullying at least once a day?

What is bullying?

"A person is bullied when he or she is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other persons, and he or she has difficulty defending himself or herself."  - Dan Olweus

Who is bullied the most?

Latino kids -------------------------------------------2%
Asian kids --------------------------------------------3%
White kids -------------------------------------------3%
Black kids --------------------------------------------4%
Disabled kids ----------------------------------------6%
Heavy kids ------------------------------------------11%
Kids who dress differently-------------------------12%
Kids who are gay or are perceived as gay-------24%

(Source: 2002 National Mental Health Association survey of 760 12-17 year olds)

Statistics about bullying:

• Nearly 1 in 3 students is involved in bullying.
• While school violence as a whole is declining, bullying behaviors have increased by 5%.
• Kids who are obese, gay, or have disabilities are up to 63% more likely to be bullied than other children.
• Boys are more likely than girls to bully others.
• Nearly one-fourth of students from elementary through high school have reported that they have been harassed or bullied on school property because of their race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or disability.- 2001-2002 California Student Survey
• Nearly one-fourth of students from elementary through high school have reported that they have been harassed or bullied on school property because of their race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or disability.- 2001-2002 California Student Survey
• Students hear anti-gay epithets 25 times a day, and teachers fail to respond to these comments 97% of the time. -Gay Lesbian Straight Educator’s Network.
• Harassment and bullying have been linked to 75 percent of school-shooting incidents. -US Secret Service Report, May 2002
• Gay and lesbian youth are two to three times more likely to commit suicide than other youths, and 30 percent of all completed youth suicides are related to the issue of sexual identity. -Report to the Secretary's Task Force on Youth Suicide
• 84.6% of LGBT students reported being verbally harassed, 40.1% reported being physically harassed and 18.8% reported being physically assaulted at school in the past year because of their sexual orientation.

Results of bullying:

·    Kids are more likely to skip school, both if they are bullied and if they bully others.

·    Bullied children are more likely to get sick.

·    Bullied teens are more likely to drink and become aggressive

·    People who bullied others when they were children are more likely to get into trouble with the law as adults.

·    People who were bullied as children are more likely to have psychological problems as adults.

·    People who were bullied as kids are more likely to be bullied in the workplace as an adult.

Suicide is the third leading cause of youth aged 15-25. Each year there are about 500,000 attempted suicides and 5000 of those result in death.

What We Can Do!

• Learn more! One of the best way to fight stereotypes and discrimination is to get educated and learn more! Meet new people and check out events and opportunities going on on campus that you can engage in learning about different cultures, religions, and LGBT issues.
• Harrassment is present on college campus' too. A new study from the non-profit Campus Pride shows that 23% of LGBT students, faculty and staff from colleges and universities have reported anti-gay harassment. Show respect and support for all students and stand up and say something when you hear discrimatory comments or slurs.
• Children model our own actions, talk to your kids, cousins, siblings, etc. about bullying and respect. Many times discrimination is learned at home.

More Resources!

• Learn about Jared's Story , a story about a young boy who committed suicide due to bullying.
• Bullying information and Prevention
• Get involved in MARC Massachsetts Aggression Reduction Center which teaches children about bullying and respect.

Tonight is AWARE's 10th annual DRAGFEST
All the money is being donated to Free the Children's project to build a school in Sierra Leone.
· The UN named Sierra Leone one of the worst countries to live in.
· An 11 year civil war resulted in 2 million displaced people.
· Thousands of kids were orphaned, killed, or maimed, during the war.
· An estimated 10,000 children were used as child soldiers.
· Less than half of Sierra Leonean women aged 15 to 24 can read and write.
· Most schools were destroyed during the war, and by 1996 nearly 70% of children were not receiving an education.
· Today, Sierra Leone has the world’s highest mortality rate of children under age five.

Consider donating to help us build a school in Sierre Leone and give the children of Sierra Leone the hope for a better future!

This blog was written for Child Rights Awareness Week at BSU by Katie Wilber, FTC President.

Check back tomorrow to learn about another child rights issue and how you can help!

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