 Verbal, emotional or physical abuse of someone less powerful  Using technology (mobile phone or computer) to abuse someone  Can be from child to child  Child to adult  Adult to child  Can be one on one, or a group of several people onto individuals or groups

 Bullying will only stop if we take action together. Victims of bullying need our support.  Bullying behaviour can be fuelled by the action, or lack of action, of the bystander.  The majority of children and adults want to take action to tackle bullying.

 85% of bullying incidents take place with bystanders present.  Young people intervened in significantly more episodes than adults did (11% of episodes versus 4%).  Bullying behaviour stops in less than 10 seconds nearly 60% of the time

E.g. an observer, onlooker or witness.  The ringleader – those leading the bullying, but not always the person ‘doing’ the bullying.  Assistant(s) – those involved in ‘doing’ the bullying.  Reinforcer(s) - support the bullying, might laugh or encourage other people to collude with what is going on.  Outsider(s) - ignore any bullying and doesn’t want to get involved. This can actually include adults too!  Defender(s) - stand up for someone being bullied. Know that bullying is wrong. Feel confident enough to do something about it.

 Fear of becoming a target.  Not wanting to be called a ‘grass’ or ‘snitch’.   Not wanting to look like a “goody goody”  It’s only a bit of fun.  Ignore it and it will go away.  They deserve it.

 Empathy – know what it feels like.  Because it’s the right thing to do.  That’s what friends expect.  Feel confident enough to do it – sufficient training provided.  Age – primary age students are more likely to intervene than secondary students.

 Remove them from immediate danger  Listen to them and find out what has been happening  Ensure they have a good network of support from their peers  Arrange for them to have some one to one support to help them gain back their confidence  Mediation and restorative approaches can be useful

 As well as any necessary punitive action, talk to them and find out what the underlying problems may be  Get them involved in a more appropriate activity which will make them feel better about themselves  Start a “Cool to be Kind Club” in school, which they can help to run  Try to give them a feeling of self worth so that they don’t need to hurt others to feel powerful

 Snitching or grassing – that is trying to get someone into trouble.  Telling or reporting – that is trying to get someone out of trouble.  There is a difference.  Don’t be afraid to speak out, even if you cannot intervene, tell someone else who can!

 Tell an adult or older student. Adults need to know if bullying is happening.  Tell the bully to stop, if it is safe to do so.  Encourage the bullied person to tell someone.  Walk away with the victim and encourage them not to react. Reaction is vital to the bully! Its pointless without a reaction..

 Go and get someone to help you stop the bullying.  Form a friendship group for the person being bullied to make sure they are not isolated.  Adults could speak to the bully to find out why they are doing it  Adults should ensure that their school or organisation has a clear, effective, whole community approach to addressing bullying

 Because bullying is wrong and can make the victim feel so bad they could hurt themselves or worse still – actually commit suicide in some circumstances.  To stop it from happening to someone else.  Because bullying creates an atmosphere of fear and tension for others too.  Because you can! Even if it is just by letting someone else know who can do more than you can.

 Rights  Respect  Responsibility

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. Edmund Burke (1795)

Rita Adair Regional Adviser Anti-bullying Alliance