Written by: Elki L.
Visual Credits: Negros Chronicle
Bullying is among the most prevalent and difficult challenges for students to overcome in an embracing, welcoming school environment. This leaves people to wonder if bullying should be regarded as a taboo, cliched, and overplayed topic, or whether it is a really destructive phenomenon that today's educational system must address.
Within the context of a student’s school life, bullying is defined as aggressive and targeted behavior that a student is exposed to repeatedly, whether it may be by one person or groups of people. It denotes a very clear power imbalance between the perpetrator and the victim, and can be experienced from a range of standpoints, including physical bullying, verbal abuse, social exclusion, cyberbullying, and more.
No matter its shape or form, bullying in education is quite a prevalent, severe issue. A collection of multinational studies state a potentially staggering amount of bullying victims, totaling between 8 to 46 percent of children reportedly being bullied regularly. These studies also report that there are no significant gender differences, meaning that boys are bullied just as much as girls are. The frequency of bullying is startling, but the consequences of bullying may be even more so.
Bullying has a negative impact on the mental health of its victims. Studies show that children who are bullied are more prone to health complications such as sleeping issues, headaches, and stomachaches. Most importantly, behavioral studies across the globe have drawn association between bullying and increased levels of depression and other emotional and mental disorders. Although it is debatable if these problems were pre-existing and did not develop as a result of bullying, a 2001 longitudinal study by Bond et al, reported that bullying, in most cases, preceded health complaints like depression and anxiety.
Bullying is a widespread occurrence in the Philippines, as it is in many other nations, particularly in public schools. An article published in the Philippine Journal of Academic Research states that 7 out of 10 students in the urban elementary school sector have experienced verbal abuse from their peers. In fact, the Department of Education (DepEd) listed a total of 1165 cases of bullying countrywide, just in the timeframe of the 2012-13 school year. The article also included a plethora of interview excerpts involving Filipino children and their accounts on their past experiences involving bullying. Many of the reasons for bullying may be traced back to family status and the fear of being viewed as weak or having a distinctive appearance. While the Department of Education (DepEd) acknowledged in a 2018 statement the need of incorporating anti-bullying programs at all levels of education, the issue is far from fixed, especially in the digital age, where cyberbullying is common in school environments.
In order to maintain school systems that value integrity throughout its student base, schools must be held accountable for educating students about the prevalence of bullying and its adverse effects on children. Although measures are already being taken to prevent and stifle the consequences of bullying, a better educational foundation must be built by including anti-bullying programs into school curriculums.
Works Cited
Gabiana, Myra G. “Bullying in a Public Elementary School of Countryside Philippines.” Journal of Academic Research, jar.ssu.edu.ph/index.php/JAR/article/view/21.
Gonzales, Janice L., and Dennis V. Madrigal. “Awareness and Incidence of Bullying among Public High School Students in Antique.” Philippine Social Science Journal, philssj.org/index.php/main/article/view/240.
M. Fekkes, F. I. M. Pijpers, S. P. Verloove-Vanhorick, Bullying: “who does what, when and where? Involvement of children, teachers and parents in bullying behavior”, Health Education Research, Volume 20, Issue 1, February 2005, Pages 81–91, https://doi.org/10.1093/her/cyg100
“Online Bullying Remains Prevalent in the Philippines, Other Countries.” UNICEF, 28 Sept. 2021, www.unicef.org/philippines/press-releases/online-bullying-remains-prevalent-philippines-other-countries.
“Statement on Prevention of Bullying in Public and Private Schools.” Department of Education, www.deped.gov.ph/2018/12/21/statement-on-prevention-of-bullying-in-public-and-private-schools/.