TIS validates and embraces student voice, agency and leadership. Our Student Voice group, which consists of 15 dedicated students from grades 8 to 12, regularly writes and publishes articles on relevant topics related to education and learning. This week, Pearl, Elaina, Eunice, Howard, Jeya and Sari offer their perspectives on bullying:

A definition of Bullying: The act of physically or mentally harming another individual repetitively. I’m sure you have heard about bullying countless times before. Despite the awareness of bullying all around the globe, students are still being targeted. Over 3.2 million kids are victims of bullying every year. Numbers aside, bullying is an ongoing problem that has yet to be solved. At the International school of Macao bullying is not tolerated and students are strongly encouraged to report any form of bullying behaviour that they observe or experience. However, the reality is that bullying can often be hidden and pernicious.

Many people have witnessed bullying before; whether it is at school or just a random stranger in a social situation. If you were put in that situation, what would you do about it? I’m quite sure that most people would ignore it and try their best to avoid being involved. However, what will happen if no one helps? It’s important to take some sort of action when you witness bullying as it can change someone’s life for the better. Being an upstander rather than a bystander is very important. Identifying the types of bullying is a first step in protecting yourself against this type of harm.

Social media bullying
We live in an age where almost anything can be done with a simple press of a button. Cyber bullying has become more prevalent now, as it is one of the easiest forms of harassment. Almost everyone uses some form of social media nowadays, making them more exposed to bullies and judgment in the online world.. Everything you post and ‘like’ is out there for people to see. It’s so easy to degrade someone when you can’t see who you’re speaking to and who you’re hurting.

Bullying affects your reputation
Whether bullying takes place in the real world or on the internet, the effects are still the same. Often victims lose their friends because they themselves run the risk of being targeted by the bullies simply by associating with the victim. A bullying tactic used is isolation, as it is a lot easier to pick on one person than a group of people. Once victims have been “labeled”, it is hard to mentally remove that image of themselves as receiving the same insult over and over again often causes the victim to believe it.

Passive aggressive bullying
Passive aggressive bullying is a lot more complicated and muddled than you might think. The person’s actions are often confusing and an outlet for their own anxieties. When confronted, the person could fire back with excuses like it being a joke, or saying that the victim is too sensitive and doesn’t have a sense of humour. This can make the victim feel insecure and doubtful or that they were reading the situation wrong, leading them to believe it’s their fault. This type of bullying is the hardest kind to catch, as most passive aggressive bullies act in different ways; when confronted, some act innocent, others are argumentative.

Bullying through exclusion
Looks and body image – how much does this play in how you are viewed? Unfortunately, being bullied because of the way you look is still one of the biggest reasons why students are bullied. According to a 2014 Girlguiding survey, 45% of 11-21-year-old females said they felt ashamed of the way they look. Ultimately, in order to fully eradicate forms of bullying based on appearance, students should be educated on accepting equality and equity.

Bullying because of cultural differences
Often bullying and victimization may occur when cultural behaviors are different from what may be perceived as the norm. International schools, in particular, are a melting pot of different cultures and behaviours, so at times when an individual is culturally insensitive, bullying can occur.

Actions of students at TIS in response to the issue of bullying
In response to the issue of bullying, TIS supports and recognizes Pink Day. Pink Day was initiated in 2007 in Nova Scotia, Canada, by a student who saw another student being bullied for wearing a pink shirt to school. His response was to go online and gather support by asking others to wear pink shirts to school to create a SEA of PINK! By showing the bullies that they were outnumbered, this one student made history by establishing PINK Day.

The TIS Volunteer Team also wants to prevent and promote the serious effects of bullying.  The students first conducted individual research on the issue of bullying and they will eventually share their research and process by creating a short video. It allows students who are participating in the project an opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of the issues surrounding the prevention of  bullying behaviours. In the next few weeks, the TIS Volunteer Team will present their video to TIS students.

Conclusion
In conclusion, The Student Voice group hopes that this article will raise awareness of the types and effects of bullying that are common in any school around the world. As long as we treat each other like we want to be treated, TIS will continue to be a safe and welcoming community for all students.

You can find more information about bullying here.