Police AssociAtion of novA scotiA 101 suiCiDe &Bullying Bullying can have terrible consequences for the victims and the bullies, and can severely impact many in schools and the community. Cyber-bullying has become such a grave problem that many kids who have been victimized in this way have committed suicide over it. This is very tragic, as research shows that there are inexpensive and effective ways to reduce bullying. Bullying is not about peers getting into a fight, not yet having learned how to handle differences without violence, nor friendly back and forth teasing that happens between friends. Bullying is intentional harm by one person or a group, repeatedly, over time and targeted towards someone less powerful. Behaviours can be verbal, psychological or physical. Studies show that more than 160,000 children skip school every day because they feel threatened by another student. Chronic and serious bullying is increasingly being linked to higher suicide rates. Many children who have experienced bullying can move beyond it once it subsides. But for other victims, the impact can be very serious. In a recent study of Canadian middle-schoolers, 20% of those surveyed claimed seriously thinking about committing suicide (19.7% of females; 20.9% of males), and 19% said they attempted suicide (17.9% of females; 20.2% of males). And a Stats Canada statistic on bullying shows that for every suicide completed, between the ages of 15 to 24, 400 more were attempted. Canada, like other parts of the world, has experienced its share of tragedies. There’s 16-year old Gary Hansen from Roblin, Manitoba, who hanged himself after persistent bullying at the Goose Lake High School. Travis Sleeve, also 16, shot himself after months of consistent harassment. Dawn-Marie Wesley, 14, of Mission, B.C., hanged herself after leaving a note explaining that to seek help would likely result in an escalation of the behaviour of her abusers. And in Victoria, B.C., Reena Virk was attacked, brutalized and beaten by her schoolmates, six teenaged girls and one teenaged boy. She was left to drown. According to a 1999 University of British Columbia study on bullying, based on female and male students in Grades 8-10 in a B.C. city, there were: • 64% of kids who reported having been bullied at school • 12% were bullied regularly (once or more a week) • 13% bullied other students regularly (once or more a week) • 72% observed bullying at school at least once in a while • 40% tried to intervene • 64% considered bullying a normal part of school life • 61-80% said bullies are often popular and enjoy high status among their peers • 25-33% said bullying is sometimes okay and/or that it is okay to pick on losers • 20-50% said bullying can be a good thing (makes people tougher, is a good way to solve problems, etc.) Without intervention, bullies pose a serious risk to other students and others – doubly tragic, as science shows that anti-bullying programs work, and can save lives. © 2010 Fenety Marketing Services A devastating reality
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