Suicide of teenager places spotlight on school bullies

 

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Schoolgirl, 13, dies by suicide

Poppy Bracey, from Leigh, Greater Manchester, has been described by friends as a beautiful young girl with everything to live for, according to the Telegraph.

Yet, earlier this month, the 13-year-old pupil of Lowton High School died by suicide, leaving family, classmates and teachers devastated.

Nick Hudson, executive director for Children and Young People's Services, told the newspaper: "Poppy's untimely and tragic death has shocked and saddened many people."

While the reasons for the teenager's suicide may never be fully understood, friends have laid at least part of the blame at the door of the school bullies they claim picked on Poppy because of her good looks.

The newspaper quotes several friends who have posted messages on social networking sites since the incident, questioning the extent to which the misery the alleged bullies caused played a part in Poppy taking her own life.

While such assertions are speculative, there have been several recent cases of young people, like Poppy, taking their lives due to bullying, causing the issue of school-based bullying to be brought back into the public eye.

 

Bullying and suicide

Bullying can have a devastating and varied impact on child victims, according to anti-bullying charity Bullying UK.

One recurring example it cites is being contacted by children who have stopped eating as a result of being called fat by members of their peer group.

Beat Bullying estimates that at least 20 children and adolescents take their own lives each year as a direct result of being bullied, equating to nearly one death by suicide every two weeks in the UK.

However, the organisation state as that this estimate is based solely on cases known to Beat Bullying, the real figure could be significantly higher. The statistic also does not take into account the number of young people who attempt suicide but survive.

Research carried out by Bullying UK has shown that types of bullying among schoolchildren can be broadly divided by gender. However, the organisation also points out that no form of bullying is exclusively perpetrated by one sex

Physical bullying - including kicking, punching and other forms of violence - is considered to be more prominent among boys than girls, Bullying UK has found, while intimidation is more often associated with male bullies than female.

Exclusion tactics, such as abruptly ending friendships, spreading malicious gossip, name calling and abuse via technology such as mobile phones or social network sites are all bullying variants shown to be more common among female pupils. Bullying: The facts

Bullying is defined by Bullying UK as "an unprovoked, sustained campaign of aggression towards someone in order to hurt them for the sake of it".

The organisation's 2006 National Bullying Survey, which represented the largest and most comprehensive research into the issue at the time of its publication, suggested that bullying is a widespread problem among children at schools across the nation.

The study found 69 per cent of the children questioned had experienced victimisation at the hands of others, while 85 per cent had witnessed someone else being bullied.

According to the survey, bullying of children is also of major concern to parents. The research showed 87 per cent of adults interviewed believed their child had been bullied at some point during the preceding year. A further 85 per cent had witnessed a child being bullied, of which 82 per cent attempted to intervene.

It also appears from the research that physical forms of bullying are prevalent among children, with 71 per cent of parents reporting that their child had been hurt during an episode of bullying and 34 per cent of these resulting in a trip to a doctor or hospital.

 

Beating the bullies

Positive steps are being taken to tackle to issue of bullying in UK schools. In fact, the government has made tackling the problem a key priority of the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF).

Its Teachernet website states: "Bullying in our schools should be taken very seriously; it is not a normal part of growing up and it can ruin lives."

All schools in the UK are required to have detailed anti-bullying policies, as well as clear strategies and guidance for staff on how to deal with reported incidents of bullying.

Schools in England are also able to sign up to the government's Anti-Bullying Charter, which provides a set of principles by which they can monitor the effectiveness of their own anti-bullying practices.

Samaritans also offers support to schools and pupils on issues relating to bullying through its DEAL (Developing Emotional Health and Learning) programme, which includes a module specifically devoted to bullying.

A support pack for the DEAL initiative was issued to every secondary school in the UK and Republic of Ireland in October 2006. The guidance includes an information booklet for schools, staff training activities, lesson plans and factsheets, all designed to help institutions tackle bullying.

Samaritans

If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or emotional distress, you can call Samaritans for support 24 hours on 08457 90 90 90 (UK) and 1850 60 90 90 (ROI), or email at jo@samaritans.org, or face to face - find your nearest branch.

 

Sources:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/7413132/Girl-hanged-herself-with-tie-after-being-bullied-at-school.html

http://www.bullying.co.uk/index.php/young-people/school-projects/school-projects.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/8557289.stm

http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/behaviour/tacklingbullying/

http://www.samaritans.org/our_services/work_in_schools/deal_lesson_plans.aspx

http://www.bullying.co.uk/index.php/young-people/advice/introduction-to-bullying.html

 

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