In Canada, one out of 4 kids are bullied, one out of 5 kids are the bully, and 282,000 high school kids are attacked each month nationally.
Bullying has been a huge problem affecting children and teens for as long as I can remember. Through my years of elementary school and high school I’ve witnessed kids being laughed at, made fun of and tormented just for being who they are. And yes, I can admit to falling victim to the bystander effect once or twice in a situation, and I am definitely not proud of it. I’ve realized bullying is not something that should be taken lightly. It can lead to depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and in some cases it can lead to suicide. It is overwhelming to think that someone can feel so hopeless and so alone; believing their only way out is taking their life.
There are three types of bullying: physical, verbal, and social. You have all heard the quote “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” So you think why is verbal bullying so rigorous? Well, the verbal abuse is what cuts the deepest. Words are a powerful thing. They can make someone laugh, or they can make someone cry.
“Words can be great, or they can degrade, or even worse, they can teach hate.”
– Eminem
Every day kids are feeling as though they are not good enough, as if they are not special. Yet, who is a bully to tell someone they are worthless? It seems as though awareness is not enough to solve this silent epidemic. A change needs to be made, and soon.
What you can do is help. Don’t be a bystander. You have an incredible amount of power to stop bullying from escalating when witnessing it happen.
“It doesn’t take a genius to help somebody out, it only takes courtesy.”
– Stanislav Lekarev
I, myself have been a victim of bullying. At some point, everyone is. But hopefully there will come a point where nobody is.
Anita is a high school student from Brampton, Ontario.
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