Plan International on Bullying in Philippines

Defining bullying

Definitions of bullying vary, but commonly emphasize repetition, harm and unequal
power. Not all aggression is bullying, but bullying is always aggression, defined as hurtful and
hostile behaviour. All definitions highlight the difficulty the victim faces in defending
themselves combined with the desire by the perpetrators to gain some material or social reward
or emotional pleasure.

Plan uses this definition of bullying: ‘A student is being bullied or victimized when he or
she is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other
students’.

The following are different types of bullying:

• Physical: hitting, kicking, punching, shoving, stealing

• Verbal: insults, comments about how someone looks, name-calling, sexual harassment, threats
• Social: gossiping, ignoring, rumours
• Cyber-bullying: is bullying though the Internet, interactive and digital technologies or mobile
phones.

What puts children at risk?

Minority ethnic status is a basis for violence against and between students, as is religion.
UNVAC also points out that violence in educational settings is increasingly directed against
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered young people in many states and regions.

Disabled children are also more likely targets. The UN Violence Study on Violence
Against Children with Disabilities reports that they may be more likely to put up with abuse in
order to gain access to social groups.

Plan’s report I’m a teenager: What happened to my rights? highlights an increasingly

common reason for being bullied: children whose parents are living with HiV, or those who have
been orphaned by AiDS, may be rejected by their friends and schoolmates.

Boys are generally more likely than girls to be both victims and perpetrators of bullying,
although this is not the case everywhere – girls are more frequent bullies in Japan. Boys and girls
also treat their victims in different ways. Boys are more likely to use physical intimidation and
violence, while girls tend towards verbal and social bullying.

Apart from these specific groups, bullies, particularly boys, often target the youngest,
smallest and weakest children.

Bullying is also linked to domestic violence in later life, as children learn that violence is
a primary mechanism for negotiating relationships. Children who suffer family violence are
more likely to be bullies and be bullied.

Physical violence in general and bullying in particular is also more common in schools
that are overcrowded and where there is inadequate adult
supervision.

Children attending schools located in violent and deprived neighbourhoods are more
likely to experience violence.

Consequences of bullying
 Most seriously, victims of bullying suffer from increased stress and serious psychological
problems and are more likely to attempt suicide. Studies show children who are bullied are five
times more likely to be depressed than their peers and that bullied girls are eight times more
likely to be suicidal.

Victims may lose self-esteem, feel shame, suffer anxiety and come to dislike school and
truant to avoid victimisation.

Those who remain in school often develop concentration problems and learning
difficulties. Others react aggressively, sometimes bullying others in an effort to regain status,
power and self-esteem.

But bullies are also victims. They are also likely to experience anxiety and depression
and are at a higher risk of suicide and self-harm than those not involved in bullying.

In addition, both victims and bullies are likely to perpetuate the cycle of violence

What stops school violence?

(1) Stopping school violence needs a clear statement in national

law. Otherwise, breaching a child’s dignity and wellbeing remains socially
acceptable.
(2) Schools organised in a democratic manner including strategies
such as:
• Establishing and enforcing clear and fair rules
• Promoting children’s awareness of their rights
• Providing a means for students to report bullying confidentially
• Encouraging bystanders to take immediate action, such as speaking up and reporting the
incident
• Involving children, teachers and parents in the school response
(3) Devising grassroots interventions based on encouragement, not on repression. The most
successful ones have been in small groups, teaching self-protection skills, last four or more
sessions for consistency and involve children from the beginning.
What is Plan doing about it?

Plan’s Learn Without Fear campaign addresses the fact that cruel and humiliating forms
of physical punishment, gender-based violence and bullying – while a daily reality for millions
of children – are not acceptable. Our campaign’s vision is of a world where children can go to
school in safety and learn without fear or threats of violence.

1. Improving laws
As a result of the campaign, millions of children are now better protected from violence. For
example:
• Plan Ecuador’s work with the government has resulted in Article 347 of the Constitution,
which decrees that the State is responsible for the eradication of all forms of violence in the
education system and for the protection of students’ physical, psychological and sexual
wellbeing.
• In Brazil, Plan is helping the municipality of São Paulo with the implementation of Law 69/09,
which promotes awareness-raising and prevention measures on school bullying, and is working
to scale-up the adoption of a similar law by other states.

2. Improving data quality

Colleagues in Indonesia have been using Plan’s primary research on school bullying to raise
issues with the Ministry of Education and other relevant organisations. Plan Togo helped set up a
pilot child helpline, Allo 111. It will give children access to trained counsellors for immediate
support, and cases can be used to improve service delivery. If successful, the helpline will be
rolled out across the whole country.In Zimbabwe, Plan has provided financial and technical
support at national and district level to the Victim Friendly Unit so that it is able to collect data
and follow up on cases.

3. Promoting children’s rights

Plan works in a variety of ways to educate people about children’s rights. Plan Benin promoted
the campaign at an intercollege music competition attended by 5,000 people. In Cambodia,
children’s rights, gender and conflict resolution have been integrated into the national school
curriculum. In Sri Lanka, Plan and the government are training police officers and health
professionals in child protection, including school violence related issues. In order to promote
spaces for dialogue, Plan West Africa runs www.planchildrenmedia.org/an-end-to-violence-
inschool.html which includes a selection of youth media projects.

Plan’s position on bullying

Plan believes bullying:

• Is a global problem
• Is not a ‘normal’ part of growing up nor a ‘rite of passage’
• Does not go away with time but can get worse
• Can result in economic, physical, psychological and/or sexual harm to children
• Is associated with different forms of societal violence
• Demands a prompt, measurable, multidisciplinary, and child-sensitive response.

Recommendations

Every child has the right to a safe school environment and therefore, Plan urges :

• School children to report bullying as a violation of your rights

• Bystanders to speak up about what they have witnessed
• Teachers and parents to realize that bullying is an abuse of child rights and a child affected by
violence has the potential to become a violent and less productive member of society. School
authorities to embrace child-friendly policies and practices and protect children
• Teacher’s unions to promote positive discipline methods
• The media to keep challenging social and cultural norms that lead to children being harmed
• Civil society organizations to help keep this subject on the public agenda
• Governments to ban all forms of school violence and secure funds for related training, systems
and services.

Researched by Jerry Boy Madia

Submitted to Dr. Carlito Matibag