Bullying
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Item Get With It! A Guide to Cyberbullying(Barnardos, ND) National Centre for Technology in Education; Office for Internet Safety; BarnardosThe ease of access to powerful communication tools such as social networking websites, video and photograph sharing sites, internet enabled camera-phones and games consoles means that, all over the world, people are saying new things in new ways to new audiences. Individuals are sharing ideas and views like never before. Email, instant messaging, texting, and social networking sites such as: Bebo, Facebook, MySpace and Nimble, are allowing children in Ireland to connect with each other and engage with society in ways that were previously unimaginable. At the same time we are seeing how the anonymous, instant, and far-reaching communication capabilities have brought a new dimension to child protection issues such as bullying. Bullying is not a new phenomenon. However the ways in which it happens are changing. Technologies are being used by young people for a wide range of activities that annoy, harass, and intimidate each other. Depending on the context, these behaviours can be considered anywhere on a spectrum from relatively harmless to very damaging. The issue is further clouded by the fact that this generation of teenagers is dealing with a massive amount of communications that don’t have the nuance of tone-of-voice or body language; two factors that play such an important role in how we interpret messages. In the past, throw away comments disappeared into the ether as soon as they were spoken whereas nowadays messages are persistent, almost permanent. In fact these communications are archived online and are not only visible to many but may be searchable, even when they are believed to have been removed. The internet gives us a window into many previously unknown aspects of children’s lives, things that previously happened without our knowledge.Item Children's Books for Special Needs: Bullying(Barnardos, 2000) Barnardos; Fingal County LibrariesMany if not most children will experience bullying during their childhood. For some it’s a fleeting but painful event, for others a persistent, frightening and ultimately damaging experience. Children are bullied for being too short, too tall, being a boy or a girl, having an unusual name, their skin or hair colour. The list is endless – in fact, children are bullied for anything the bully may identify as an excuse to victimise them. Of course, the bully himself is often deeply insecure and unhappy but knows no way out of his antisocial behaviour. The effect of persistent bullying on children is well documented and we know that it can literally devastate a childhood. Victims of bullying are often scarred by their experience and continue to suffer effects into adulthood. In extreme cases, where children found themselves isolated and without help, bullying has led to suicide. As adults, parents, teachers and carers we have a responsibility to protect our children from bullying and also to guide the bullying child. This is not always easy, as bullying is often a secret activity with the victim too scared or embarrassed to talk about his/her suffering. This booklet, with selected literature and useful contacts, will help children and adults to talk about bullying and explore strategies to overcome the bullies. It may also help the bully to view his/her behaviour from a victim’s perspective.