Kids all around the country and even the world are suffocating under the words and actions pushed on them by fellow peers. Bullying is a real problem and not enough has been done in school systems to attack it. We as friends, parents, and bystanders have to fight against it and do the best we can to diminish its existence in schools. I've collected a few statistics and thoughts of my own.
Every seven minutes a child is bullied and only 15% of the time intervention of any kind is offered, as told by nveee.org Teachers, parents, and other peers simply let it happen, or are oblivious to it altogether.
Victims of bullying are left feeling humiliated and alone, this also explains why victims don't tell someone about being bullied. They're trying to salvage the small amount of self-esteem they feel they have left. A lot of kids don't know how to handle the situation and keep to themselves.
The Megan Meier Foundation says suicide is the leading cause of death for children under the age of fourteen and the third leading cause for children as a whole. Forty percent of victims of bullying have reported suicidal thoughts or an attempt.
Bullies are driving their victims to kill themselves because they feel like there is no other way out. People are standing by and watching as someone is being driven to their limit. If these victims cannot speak for themselves, we have got to speak for them before it is too late. Stand up for someone before they break under the weight of their own mind.
Why do people bully? Studies show that most bullies have had some type of major stress in their lives and it has driven them to bully, to put it on someone else. Most bullies have been identified as male. It's the norm that males have been told to "toughen up" and not show emotion.
This could lead to them being bullies and not take to mind emotions of others, as well as their own. A huge reason for people being bullies is that they themselves have been bullied and it has led them to become bullies. Bullies are not born bullies, society and home life shape them into who they are. None of this is an excuse to bully, bullying is NEVER okay.
Every day people suffer in silence because of bullying. No voice, no hope, and no way out. This is the heartbreaking thought process for many children and teens. Little do bullies know how much they are killing the mind of another human and ruining their sense of a good life.
We may not know what someone else is going through, but we will for sure never know if we don't try and help. We cant help the silenced if we ourselves remain silent.