Seven in 10 students in Malaysia are calling for a national law to protect children from bullying, according to a recent Children4Change survey. Others were in favour of awareness programs and a formal anti-bullying school policy.
Based on survey results, no child has been left untouched by bullying, either as a witness, victim, or bully, with verbal and relational types of bullying being the most common.
Three in four children reported they are victims of humiliating name calling. A staggering 64% admitted to having been involved or maybe involved in committing acts of bullying.
Carried online and offline under the Kindness Project by the Ministry of Education, UNICEF and WOMEN:girls, some of the 2,000 children who participated shared personal testimonies of the encounter with bullying.
One showed an extreme form of bullying: a student shared that he had witnessed “someone being told to kill themselves because they suck”.
According to victims, school is where they are most often subjected to bullying (83%), with half stating they had experienced bullying in the classroom.
“We tend to underestimate the impact of bullying on children and to belittle its effects,” said Marianne Clark-Hattingh, UNICEF representative to Malaysia. “In doing so we discourage children from speaking up, be they victim or bystander. This is dangerous as it makes children more vulnerable to violence and its consequences.”
She added that it is essential that children feel safe to report cases and be confident that appropriate action will be taken to address bullying. Ample support should also be given to victims.
On possible options that will students feel safe, almost 70% said that a national law that will protect them from bullies is necessary, and 69% called for awareness and education programmes in school. A further 67% wanted an anti-bullying school policy to be put in place.