BULLYING A Global Problem

Bullying is Global

Bullying among school-age children occurs worldwide. A survey published in Pediatrics in Review reveals that in Norway, 14 percent of children are either bullies or victims. In Japan, 15 percent of primary school pupils say that they are bullied, while in Australia and Spain, the problem prevails among 17 percent of students. In Britain one expert figures that 1.3 million children are involved in bullying.

Professor Amos Rolider of Emek Yizre'el College surveyed 2, 972 pupils in 21 schools. According to The Jerusalem Post, the professor found that "65% complained of being smacked, kicked, pushed or molested by fellow pupils." 

A new and insidious development is digital bullying-the sending of menacing text messages via cell phones and computers. Youths also create hate-filled Web pages about a victim, including personal information. According to Dr. Wendy Craig of Queen's University in Canada, this form of bullying is "extraordinarily damaging to the child who is being victimized by it." 

Next time: BULLYING A Global Problem - The Workplace

From the Awake!  magazine, 2003