You can never be sure how the bully will react. You could get hurt or in trouble!
If you're in a situation where you can’t walk away and have to deal with the bully, don't get mad. Try using humour or even being friendly. It shows that you’re not scared and it can throw the bully totally off guard.
Tell a teacher, your parents, caregiver, a friend or even Childline or SaveTNet—anyone you trust who can give you the support you need!
Save any nasty SMS, WhatsApp or any other messages or emails that have been sent to you. Write down everything that happened, the dates, who was involved, any witnesses, etc. Also check your school’s anti-bullying policy. This will tell you what your school should do about the bullying - and by keeping a diary you have evidence.
Children should know that you expect them not to bully others: teach them to be helpful and kind with their peers, or to offer support to children who are bullied. Teach them to report bullying that they experience or witness, to you or other adults.
If you suspect your child is being bullied, show that you are concerned about him/her and ask questions. Make them feel safe to talk about their feelings and what has happened to them. Give them your support and gather information about the bullying.
If you child is being bullied, contact his/her teacher and/or principal and share your concerns. Do not contact the parents of the child who bullied your child – it may make matters worse. It is the school officials that should inform the parents of the bully.
Bullying takes place in all types of schools; public and private. As a teacher, it is your responsibility to create a bully-proof classroom. Talk to your students about bullying, give them guidance about how they might appropriately intervene or get help if they witness bullying.
By taking questionnaires from the learners, school personnel can discover the hotspots for bullying. Once this information is available, look for creative ways to increase an adults’ presence in these locations. Make students realise they should avoid risky areas or situations.
Support the bullied child in a way that allows him or her to “save face,” feel supported and safe. Don’t ask questions about the incident in front of other learners. Follow-up afterwards.
Childline works to protect children from violence and advance children's rights in Africa. Childline runs a 24-hour, toll-free telephone counselling service for children and adults. In addition to the Crisis Line telephone counseling service, Childline also offers services such as online counseling, training programs for professionals in the child protection field, continuous professional development, providing court preparation for children and families and workshops on legislations & policies pertaining to children. Childline seeks to provide a better life free of abuse, neglect and exploitation for all the children of Africa. Childline believes what they do for children today will ultimately affect who they become tomorrow.
To contact a Childline office in your region, visit https://www.childhelplineinternational.org/child-helplines/child-helpline-network/
SaveTNet Cyber Safety helps victims of cyber related crimes and cyberbullying, and wants people to be responsible digital citizens so they can enjoy the positive side of social media and digital space. Because many people experience the negative side effects of social media, which can include depression, addiction, compassion deficit disorder, and more, SaveTNet works hard to create awareness with the aim that people will take cyber safety to heart. SaveTNet offers information and a network of people to help you should you find yourself in trouble. That is why SaveTNet wants to be your first point of contact and direct you to the best people and organisations to assist with your situation.
To contact SaveTNet Cyber Safety, visit www.savetnet.com/contact
Jumping Kids is a Section 21 Trust, now classified as a Non-Profit Business by the South African Labour Act, registration number 2009/018078/08. Jumping Kids mandate is to provide amputee children, of school going age, the tools to be successful contributing members of society.
The tools focused on are:
Jumping Kids has initiated projects across Southern Africa by engaging with local communities, organisations, and government, and developed the program to include access to education through bursaries for amputee kids who show potential to excel in school.
To contact Jumping Kids, visit www.jumpingkids.org.za/contact
