NOORDWESTER - POTCHEFSTROOM – The South African Police Service (SAPS) has expressed concern regarding repeated violent incidents at schools that required police intervention since the beginning of 2024.
In one incident reported in February, grade 11 and 12 learners fought due to bullying and Public Order Policing (POP) members were mobilised to calm down the situation. In another incident earlier this month, a common assault case was reported after a grade 8 pupil was allegedly assaulted in the bathroom by older boys.
Bullying appears to be the underlying cause of much of the violence in schools. It manifests in a form of aggressive behaviour that is intentional and involves an imbalance of power or strength. It is planned, calculated and repeated behaviour that is intended to hurt, can be physical or verbal and results in pain and distress for the victim.
Caregivers should encourage children to talk about their feelings, rather than seeking revenge or fighting back. Let your child know he/she has your support and do what you can to increase his/her confidence. Discuss other tactics that might stop the bullying with your child’s teacher. If nothing changes, contact the principal by writing a formal letter.
Teachers and school administrators must also be knowledgeable and observant. Although bullying generally happens in areas such as bathrooms, the playground, crowded hallways, and school buses as well as via cell phones and computers (where supervision is limited or absent), it must be taken seriously. Teachers should emphasise that children who are being bullied should speak out. If a teacher observes bullying in a classroom, he/she needs to immediately intervene and involve parents when investigating the bullying - they need to be a part of the solution.
Parents and teachers can help students engage in positive behaviour and teach them skills so that they know how to react when bullying occurs. Older students can serve as mentors and inform younger students about safe practices on the internet.
There is no gender discrimination in cases of bullying and parents are requested to be supportive towards their children.
Indicators of bullying:
* Your child returns from school with unexplained cuts and bruises
* A change in their normal route or feeling frightened of walking to school
* Items of clothing and schoolbooks may be torn and he/she may be hungry because lunch or lunch money was stolen
* Other signs include hesitation about going to school, decreased appetite, nightmares, crying, or general depression and anxiety.
Four main types of bullying:
* Teasing is verbal violence, which includes name-calling, insults, verbal demands or threats and cyberbullying. Websites like You-Tube, Instagram, and Snapchat allow kids to send hurtful messages to other children 24 hours a day and even anonymously. Cyberbullying involves sending text messages belittling the victim, making untrue claims or sending embarrassing pictures around. Parents should set boundaries with technology to prevent this from happening.
* Exclusion is based on social manipulation. A bully will tell a child directly, “You can’t sit with us,” or it may involve body language like getting up and moving away when the victim joins the group. Giving someone the “silent treatment”, threatening poses and gestures, malicious gossip designed to turn others against the victim also falls under exclusion.
* Physical bullying involves regularly attacking someone who is weaker by pushing, shoving, kicking, hitting and tripping the child. It can also include stealing lunch or other possessions and damaging property.
* Harassment generally involves repeated annoying questions, statements or attacks about sexuality, gender, race, religion or nationality.
How young people should react to bullying:
* Report bullying and cyberbullying to an adult you trust.
* Don’t bully back or react negatively - two wrongs don’t make a right.
* Avoid being alone. Whenever possible, avoid situations where there are no other children or adults.
