Bullying in Schools: Addressing and Preventing

Introduction

Bullying in schools is a complex and difficult topic, which, however, requires addressing as a sensitive issue affecting not only children but also adults. Bullying is targeted, first of all, at those who cannot fight back, who are physically weaker or who do not fit into the general system. These may be children from poorer families with different behaviors and appearances, closed and unsociable, too smart, or, conversely, students with lower intelligence. Bullying can start with psychological aggression and even develop into sexual or cyberbullying. The problem can also be expressed in physical aggression, offensive gestures, collective boycott, the extortion of money or things, material wrecking, or offensive and insulting statements addressed to a person or his or her relatives. This means that the topic of bullying affects not only children but also adults around them, primarily parents and teachers. Any aggression toward pupils can become a reason for the development of serious consequences for psychological development in the future. Addressing this issue requires the involvement of different stakeholders, and appropriate guidelines should be followed as a rule of thumb to keep bullying to a minimum in the school environment.