Why Anti- Bullying Training?
The Journal of Public Health recently ran an article on a study done at Queen's University on Bullying. The authors are calling for a national strategy on bullying, and are putting political pressure on our leaders to make bullying a "Public Health Problem". Of the 202,000 children surveyed in 40 countries, including North America, Europe, and Israel, Canada ranked in the middle, placing 21st for boys and 28th for girls!
Countries with national anti-bullying programs in place like Sweden (and other Scandinavian countries), had the best results with the lowest prevalence. Defining it as a "public health problem", one wonders how long before Pfizer releases anti-bully meds? Bullying is pervasive in all levels of society, and can cause untold suffering for the victims. Since it is difficult to soften bullies' hearts, our energy needs to focus on teaching the bullied and bystanders assertiveness skills to take the power from the bully.
In a recent story by the CBC, a survey funded by the U.S. Department of Justice reported a sharp drop in bullying among children in the U.S. The survey found that reports of bullying dropped from 22% in 2003 to less than 15% in 2008. And assaults on other children, including siblings, were down from 45% in 2003 to 38% in 2008.
The lead author of the study attributes the decline of bullying to anti-bullying programs, ......................
The American Academy of Pediatrics also believes doctors and educators need to take an active role in preventing bullying .......................