What to do if you are being bullied?

Bullying can happen anywhere, at anytime – it isn’t just a problem during school hours. In fact bullying in the community, away from the supervision of teachers and parents, is just as common: it can take place on the way to and from school, at after-school clubs, in shopping centres, cinemas or parks. And increasingly, cyber-bullying, which involves intimidation or harassment via mobile phones or the internet, is intruding into the personal space and time of victims.

Lots of people experience bullying, but that doesn’t mean it should be an inevitable part of life. Standing up to bullies, showing a united front against their actions and talking about the causes and consequences of bullying will all help to shine a light on the problem and highlight it as unacceptable behaviour. Everyone has a right to feel safe at school, on the streets or online – here we outline a few ways of achieving that.

If you’re being affected by bullying you should always talk to someone, whether it’s your parents, teachers or friends. Not only will you feel less alone, but they may be able to help resolve the issue.
Making friends with other victims and forming a network of peer support will enable you make a stand together.
Never condone the bullying of others by standing by or joining in – remember: the more people who stand up to bullies, the louder the message will be. Always report any instances of bullying you see.
Minimise times when you’re on your own and avoid any situations in which you feel vulnerable.
Act confident and positive, even if you don’t feel it – bullies will get fed up if they don’t get the reaction they’re looking for. Practice self-assured composure in response to taunts.

Cyber-bullying

Cyber-bullies are often protected by anonymity, and can feel more confident attacking victims because of this. Even if they don’t hide their identity, it may be easier for them to cause hurt and embarrassment because of the emotional distance electronic media allows: a bully might have more courage to text or email cruel messages than to say them to their victim’s face.

Be careful about how much personal information you give out – only give close and trusted friends your email address and mobile number and never give anyone your passwords.
Find out how to block unwanted contact – both on your mobile and online.
Never retaliate or prolong unwanted attention – if someone starts to attack you on a chat forum, for example, leave the site.
Save malicious messages and emails, take screen grabs of web pages on which you’ve been bullied, and show the evidence to teachers and parents – they really will be able to help.

Anti-Bullying Week 2007 is focussing on bullying in the community. Show your support by making your handprint here, then check out the following further resources and information on how to help.

This resource has been developed using materials published on the website of the Anti-Bullying Alliance (www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk)

http://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk
http://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/Page.asp?originx_2548af_43851016440187w62q_20068305050y
http://www.kidscape.org.uk/
http://www.kidscape.org.uk/childrenteens/index.asp

Bradford children can get help and advice by texting ‘Bully’ to 07989999222