As well as the general bullying described, there can be some very specific types that all children should be aware of. Bullying isn’t always so obvious, it can happen inside and
outside of school and these days there are more ways to upset people than before.
Cyberbullying
This is when someone uses a mobile phone, email or the Internet to bully you.
Here are ways to help avoid this:
- Be careful who you give your phone number and email address to
- Don’t leave your mobile unattended;
- Never lend your mobile phone to anyone. If a friend or anyone else asks to borrow it then dial the number or text for them. If you don’t do this they could use your phone to bully someone else and you could end up getting the blame
- Be careful about the personal details you put on social networking sites such as Facebook. Always use the privacy setting. Remember, you must be over thirteen to join sites such as Facebook
- Remember too that people are not always who they say they are on the Internet. The Internet allows all sorts of people to make themselves appear in a way that is attractive to you. Someone who says they are only 14 and would like to meet you may actually be over 50 and not a nice person to meet. You could put yourself in serious danger
- Never agree to meet anyone you have met on the Internet without informing your parents or an adult who can go with you. Keep yourself safe.
If you do experience this type of bullying, don’t reply to abusive emails or texts but do keep them, as they can be used in evidence against the bully.
- Check your personal details on Internet sites and remove any that could give away too much information
- Remove or block anyone you suspect of bullying from your friend lists
- See txtup for advice on dealing with cyberbullying
Homophobic bullying
If someone calls you ‘gay’ or ‘a lesbian’ and bullies you in other ways, such as being violent towards you because either you are gay or they think you are, this is what is meant by homophobic bullying. It is a type of bullying which often goes on in secret because those targeted are scared to tell.
If you are being bullied in this way, it is important that you tell a teacher, your parents or carer what is happening to you or someone else. If your school has a confidential comments box, you can use it to let them know that this type of bullying is going on.
Sexual bullying
It is mainly girls who suffer from sexual bullying. Boys think it is alright to call girls names such as ‘bitch’ or ‘slag’. Sometimes boys will touch girls where they don’t want to be touched, or they will be rude about a girl’s body and say things to make her feel embarrassed or ashamed. These are all forms of sexual bullying.
There are times though, when girls use sexual bullying against other girls. The girl bully will make remarks about another girl’s appearance or sexual behaviour. As with all bullying, a lot of lies will be made up about a person, but in this case these will be of a sexual nature.
This type of bullying is increasing. To stop it, girls must tell and boys must learn that abusive sexual language and unwanted advances is unacceptable
Racist bullying
If people treat you differently or unfairly because of your race, colour, faith, culture or country of origin, this is called racist bullying. It is illegal to treat someone in this way and if you are suffering from racist bullying, your school will listen very carefully to you when you tell them about it. They will be pleased that you have told them so they can do something about it.
Racist bullying, like all other types of bullying in schools, is not to be tolerated. If you tell, something will be done about it. If you don’t tell, the bullies win.
Reporting racist incidents
If you believe you have suffered a racist incident, you must tell your school. Your school will have a policy which explains how they will address racism and deal with racist incidents.
A racist incident is any incident where you feel you are being attacked because of your race. In school (or on the way to and from school) they can involve you, the pupils, your parents or anyone working at, or visiting the school.
Racist incidents include:
- Written or verbal threats or insults (including racist name calling and jokes);
- Personal attacks including violence;
- Damage to property (including graffiti).
If you feel that racism is continuing and not enough has been done about it, you, or your parents, should contact your
school’s chair of governors. Your concerns will be fully investigated.
If you are still not satisfied, contact the Ethnic Minority Achievement Service:
Peta Ullmann - EMAS/TES Manager
School Improvement and Early Years
Telephone: 01268 531291
You may want to tell the police if a criminal offence is involved, for example, if you have been physically assaulted.
For more information on racism and racist incidents the following websites are a good source of advice:
Britkid – a website about race and racism as seen through the eyes of the Britkids
Bullying children with special educational needs and disabilities.
If you have special needs or a disability, this means you may need help with work in school or have difficulty expressing clearly to adults who don’t know you well, that others are hurting or being unkind to you. You may have a sight or hearing difficulty that other children make fun of. You need to remember that there is nothing wrong with you. Don’t let other children bully you about your disability or special needs.
If you are being bullied, tell an adult in school if you can, perhaps your learning support assistant or another child you can trust to tell for you. If you cannot tell anyone in school, always tell your parents or a brother or sister who can tell someone for you. If you can’t tell, draw a picture or use
Makaton symbols.
Hate crimes
Hate crimes are closely linked to bullying. This is when a crime is committed against you because of your age, colour, race, sex, religion, nationality, sexual identity or disability.