Bullying in Albania has affected 20% of school children

Bullying in Albania has affected 20% of school children
There have been complaints in both private and public schools throughout the country. The most alarming figures in the city of Vlora with 6 schools. Figures show that 1 in 5 pupils from 4th to 12th grade have been affected by bullying at school

By Sonila Isaku

One in every five pupils is victim of bullying. This mostly occurs during the time when the teacher is not in the classroom or in the neighborhood, when children are playing without the presence of their parents. Children are often subjected to this phenomenon due to their body weight, some special features that they have, their origin, race or in some cases, also due to the fact that they wear glasses.

A study which has recently been conducted in our country suggests that cases of bullying have risen significantly, affecting one in five school children. “The study revealed that one in five school children from 4th grade to 12th grade, confirmed that they have been affected by bullying at school. Almost half of those who have been affected, suffer from psychological bullying, around 35% suffer from verbal bullying and the rest suffer from physical bullying. The results of a study carried out in 6 public schools (middle schools) of Vlora by the Faculty of Public Health (2016) showed that the indicator of physical brawls was 29% (at least once in the recent month), indicator of victimization was 19,8% (at least once in the recent month) and the indicator of bullying was 33,7% (at least once last month), based on the responses given by pupils”, the study carried out by the Faculty of Public Health says. Also, according to studies carried out by other institutions, bullying is highly present in the 5th and 11th grade and the place where such behavior is mostly encountered is the classroom, when the teacher is absent, in 40% of cases, in the school’s courtyard in 40% of cases and 20% in the presence of the teachers.

As far as the teachers who were included in the study are concerned, they have confirmed that there doesn’t exist a specific policy against bullying at school and the majority of them, over 70%, have not received any kind of training on how to tackle this phenomenon.  “The responses given by teachers showed that pupils become victims of bullying in over 70% of cases due to their appearance, weight. The second category includes pupils with speech difficulties and the third category includes the weak ones”, the study suggests.

Finding themselves in front of these situations, experts recommend a number of measures that should be taken in schools. They suggest the drafting of procedures and standard protocols to prevent harassment between pupils and these procedures must be at the focus of the staff, parents and children. “The entire school personnel, which must be trained by educational directorates in cooperation with mental health personnel, must be alert about the signs of psychological violence and must act at once and in a determined manner against this phenomenon, in line with the action policy and protocol which have been drafted beforehand. Headmasters must make proposals for the training of professors in Universities on this phenomenon and the introduction of several topics that relate to bullying in the academic learning curriculums.

What action will be taken with children?

Experts of public health offer a number of recommendations for children affected by bullying.  In school institutions, they must be encouraged to report every incident of harassment to a grown up at school or at home, regardless of whether they are directly involved or not.  Children who have suffered bullying must be able to directly discuss on the experience/event with the academic staff or the health personnel of the educational institution that they attend. These pupils must also be offered assistance to restore self-esteem and self-confidence. A sincere and honest talk must be done with persons subjected to bullying to discuss what has happened. They must be urged to work with grownups for solutions and to tackle the motives of what happens to them.

Childhood bullying is a long lasting trauma

Shorter, fatter, less handsome, wearing glasses or dental braces. Timid children who do not reply to the harassment made by the “tougher” ones are victims of a phenomenon which has recently been known as bullying. A study which has recently been carried by “Duke University” in North Carolina, has come to the conclusion that those who live this kind of trauma in childhood are more likely to suffer from it all their life. As the years go by, this phenomenon turns into a nightmare. It can cause depressive states and panic, which could lead to suicide. The study has observed the behavior of 1420 children from the age of 9 to the age of 13 and has been published by “JAMA Psychiatry” journal. This may be considered as the most complete study of this domain, as the data collected in 20 years bring complete and accurate results on the consequences of bullying.  The invisible “wounds” leave scars that the child takes with him throughout the years. The study shows that those who have been mocked by their friends in childhood (by taking into account factors such as family problems, social-economic situation, etc), were at a greater risk of facing psychological problems, depression, panic and agoraphobia at an adult age. Some of them even had suicidal thoughts. Researchers say that despite their grown age, childhood experiences have left deep scars on them. This way, they stress that bullying in childhood must be prevented, as a way to prevent many future individual and social problems.

How do we tell a child who is a victim of bullying?

The signs that parents may look for to identify this phenomenon are: The child may fall into depression, by changing his daily routine. He may lack a desire to go to school on the pretext of health problems such as stomach ache and headache. Given that the pressure that he faces in the classroom is strong, the victim himself believes all the insults that he’s subjected to and as a result, he no longer likes himself.  He can display signs of aggressiveness, boredom and accumulated stress. In this part, parents must collaborate with the teacher and the school’s psychologist to help their children and find out the reason for these symptoms. Parental and family support are the best remedy for every child.

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