According to: http://thepoc.net/commentaries/16250-deped-policy-to-protect-children-from-bullying.html
No parent wants to see their child get hurt. It broke my heart when I
read my then 6 year old daughter’s little notes to me on her terrible
days at school.
One of the first topics I tackled when I turned to blogging in 2006 was
bullying.
I asked my 26-year-old daughter to narrate on what bullying was like.
She relates that her experience as a bully victim didn’t sound
particularly traumatizing. She adds that "but you don’t have to get beat
up in the playground to develop emotional scars that stay with you for
the rest of your life – especially when the damage is psychological,
which is what female bullying is about. “
Types of bullying
Filipino children are equally exposed to bullying, and are even more
at risk since Filipino parents often mistake bullying as a painful, yet
necessary, rite of passage. Children who are either bullied or bullies
themselves—are suffering from deep emotional scars. Aside from being
withdrawn and depressed, victimized children are more likely to drop out
of school, take up vices, and get into fights.
There are many ways to bully someone. A bully wants to hurt the other person (it’s
not an accident). A bully does or says the same things over and over
again. Bullying is unfair. Sometimes a group of students will bully
another student. It is important to be aware on the four main kinds of
bullying
1. Physical bullying
when someone hits, shoves, kicks, spits, or beats up another person
when someone damages or steals another student’s property
2. Verbal bullying
name-calling, mocking, hurtful teasing
humiliating or threatening someone
making people do things they don’t want to do
3. Social bullying
excluding others from the group
spreading gossip or rumours about others
making others look foolish
making sure others do not spend time with a certain student
4. Electronic bullying
using computer, e-mail, phone or cellular phone text messages to:
threaten or hurt someone’s feelings
single out, embarrass or make someone look bad
spread rumors or reveal secrets about someone
During my daughter’s elementary years in the mid-nineties, I was
helpless against the bullying that victimized my sweet and gentle
daughter in her school. I talked to the school’s guidance counselor and
all she could tell me is that “she had to learn to live with these
bullies”. Moving schools was an option but where? Anti-bullying
campaigns in Philippine schools were not yet in place in the
mid-nineties.
Parent’s role
Parents need to learn the
signs of bullying.
If a parent suspects that their child might be bullied, talk with the
child’s teacher or “find ways to observe his or her peer interactions to
determine whether or not your suspicions might be correct.” Parents on
their part can help prevent bullying such as creating healthy
anti-bullying habits early.
Parents need to show a good example of kindness and leadership.
Spending
time at school and recess can make a difference. Talking with and
listening to our kids every day can give cues if a child might face some
bullying.
Children sometimes feel too ashamed of themselves to tell anyone and they feel that no one can help, not even their parents.
It has to be known that bullying should not be a normal part of childhood.
I
sought the help of her school but they didn’t think my concern was
valid enough. That was 1993. My daughter did not suffer any physical
injuries. No, it was deeper than that. The school thought I was such an
over-protective mother trying to prevent growing pains.
As a mother, I had control of my home environment. Developing my
daughter’s self-esteem, giving confidence and self-defense became my
focus.
Participation in extra-curricular activities such as singing, art
, swimming and even martial arts gave an added boost to her morale.
Sadly, my
role as a parent was not enough. My child still had to face the bully in school. “In the
bullying equation,
it’s not just the bullied one who needs help but the bully as well. “
Interventions at the levels of the student, parents, and school needed
to be in place. Bullies are less likely to target students if they know
they have a support system or someone to defend them. No such support
system existed in the nineties.
Anti-Bullying Policies
Good news await parents, educators and our children. There is now a
Department of Education policy
to protect children from bullying. A Child Protection Committee (CPC)
will be established in all private and public elementary and secondary
schools. The committee will be composed of school officials, teachers,
parents, students, and a community representative.
House Bill 5496, the
Anti-Bullying Act of 2012
was approved on May requiring all elementary and secondary schools to
adopt anti-bullying policies. The bill requires that “anti-bullying
policies be included in the school’s student and employee handbook;
details of the policies should be posted in school websites and school
walls; schools shall submit their anti-bullying policies to the
Department of Education (DepED) within six months upon effectivity of
the law; bullying incidents in schools must be reported to the division
superintendents, who in turn shall report to the Education Secretary;
and the DepEd must submit a report on bullying incidents to the
appropriate congressional committee and impose sanctions on school
administrators who do not implement anti-bullying policies.”
The objective of the policy is to observe and promote zero tolerance
on any act of child abuse, exploitation, violence, discrimination,
bullying, and other forms of abuse in school,” said DepEd secretary
Armin Luistro.
Parents are lucky these days. For so long, parents like me were helpless in communicating with the school officials.
It is the responsibility of the school to develop and maintain a
safe and caring community by providing a comprehensive, school wide
framework for the prevention of bullying or any form of discrimination
or harassment. The school needs to ensure that students are given a
consistent, coordinated, and strong message by everyone in the school
that bullying will not be tolerated and that bullying can be prevented
if all work together.
