EDITORIAL

Bullying exists in every society. Though we would wish it different, there are too many people who still demonstrate that ugly side of human nature.

More recently in Western “civilisations”, bullying has lead to violence against innocent people, particularly those who are considered “odd’ when compared to the majority of the population, whether based on ethnicity, sexual preference, physical attributes etc. (in truth, there is no real justification for bullying, since people get picked on for something as simple as having a different hairstyle).

Though it occurs amongst every generation and in all ages, it appears to be more devastating for the youth of today. With the immediacy of modern technology and the potential scope of transfer of more detailed misinformation, bullying has been ‘armed to the teeth’ to destroy the lives of our children with just the touch of a button. This has led to the deaths of several minors in the United States (US) for instance, who have taken their own lives rather than deal with the consequences of bullying and
the spread of rumours. This has also resulted in the month of October being recognised in the US as National Anti-Bullying Awareness Month.

Here in Barbados, the effort to address this issue has commenced and is ongoing. One organisation, the Supreme Counselling for Personal Development, as well as companies like Sagicor, have been lauded for their efforts in the past. To date, the Supreme Counselling for Personal Development – guided by its Chief Executive Officer Shawn Clarke – has shed light on the issue by targeting its anti-bullying campaign to children. For instance, it has established a Life Skills Programme which provides mentorship for at-risk secondary school students; there has been an Anti-Bullying March in the City hosted by the organisation; a poster competition on bullying; and it provided a prize at a previous Junior Calypso Monarch Competition for the “Best Anti-Bullying Lyrics” sung.

Adding to these efforts are those by other Barbadians like Marcia Weekes with her locally produced, all-Barbadian-cast movie “Chrissy”, which targets schoolchildren in particular with its goal of encouraging acts of kindness and discouraging bullying. Also, an anti-violence campaign for schools launched at the Princess Margaret Secondary School last year, seeks to rid this country of festering violence amongst the youth that frequently raises its ugly head within learning institutions. The initiative aims to include other schools and utilises the talents of soca artistes Philip 7, Faith, Mole and Peter Ram to get its message across.

It is laudable that individuals and organisations are acting to fight bullying, but this is not an observer sport. Parents need to talk to their children and learn what they experience daily. This is your chance to get involved. Results of a local survey done previously reveal that approximately 31 per cent of boys and girls experienced bullying in some form. This is a serious issue. It is hoped that the anti-bullying message is received and that parents not only teach their children the correct way to handle their
differences and opinions, but also set good examples themselves.