School bullying has reached epidemic proportions, and has now moved beyond the lunch rooms and locker rooms and expanded into cyberspace with cruel instant messages and cutting texts. Bullying affects everyone. Research has shown that both the children who are victimized and the bullies themselves experience academic decline. Children who witness bullying suffer low self-esteem and experience anxiety over the fear of becoming the next target. According to studies at Yale University, bully victims are two to nine times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims, and statistics show that 160,000 kids stay home from school every day because of fear of bullying.
In an effort to focus attention on the problem of name-calling and other forms of bullying in schools, the fourth week of January has been designated No Name-Calling Week. This annual event was created to provide students and educators with the resources and inspiration to open dialogue about ways to eliminate name-calling in their communities. The goal is to create safer schools by making bullying, harassment, and name-calling unacceptable.
If you or someone you know has been the target of bullying and is in crisis, there are places you can turn for help. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255), the Trevor Project (1-866-488-7386), and the Boys Town National Hotline (1-800-448-3000) have trained counselors available for support.
Here are some stories about bullies and bullying:
