ADVICE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE

1

Making it work together

LET’S STOP BULLYING
Bullying is wrong.
Nobody has the right to hurt other people by hitting them, kicking them, calling them names, sending them threatening text messages, spreading rumours about them, or by doing anything else which is intended to be upsetting.
People who bully try to justify their actions by saying that it is the other person’s fault, or that they are “different”. They may pick on someone who is tall or small, or fat or thin, or wears glasses, or has a different accent, or another religion, or is shy or clever, or good looking, or disabled or…
Any excuse will do, and if there is no real difference then they will invent one.
If this is happening to you, tell yourself that it is not your fault and that it is the people who are bullying who need to change, not you.
Your school should have a policy to deal with bullying and you have the right to ask a teacher or another adult to help.

WHAT YOU CAN DO ✔
The most important thing is to do something. Sometimes bullying stops quickly, but doing nothing means it may continue until someone is seriously upset or hurt. That could be you, or the bullies may find someone else to pick on.
The school can act to stop bullying – if they know it is happening.

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TALK to someone you trust, such as a teacher, parent, older relative or friend.

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Be persistent. If the first person you talk to doesn’t help,
DON’T GIVE UP. Speak to someone else.

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If you can, WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING that has been said or done to hurt you. Be careful only to write down things that have really happened. Try to write down how you feel.
When you have found someone you can trust, discuss what you have written with that person.

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Whoever you talk to, ASK that person not to do anything without telling you about it first. You have a right to know what is being done for you and to say whether you think it is a good idea or not.

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If you find it difficult to talk to an adult, ask one of your
FRIENDS to go with you, or ask someone to talk to an adult for you. ✔

You could telephone CHILDLINE’S SPECIAL BULLYING
HELPLINE on 0800 44 11 11. The call is free and they are there to offer help and advice. They will not normally tell anyone else what you have talked about unless you agree.

WHAT YOU SHOULD NOT DO ✘
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DO NOT BLAME YOURSELF – it is not your fault if you are being bullied.

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Don’t try to deal with the problem ON YOUR OWN – there is nothing wrong with asking for help.

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Don’t HIT the people who are bullying you – you might end up being accused of bullying yourself.

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Don’t exaggerate – always tell the TRUTH about what has happened. If a small part of what you are saying is shown to be untrue then everything else will be in doubt.

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Don’t HIDE what is happening from the adults you trust – keeping things secret is the bullies’ biggest weapon. That is why they go to so much trouble to stop you telling.

BULLYING BY ADULTS
Bullying is wrong whatever the age of the person who is doing it.
Adults can bully children in many different ways. If an adult is doing something to you or trying to make you do something which you do not like, then you must talk to someone. Even if you are not sure what they are doing is bullying.
If this is happening at school you can talk to your parents. If this is happening at home you could talk to a trusted teacher. Do not keep it a secret. The only way to stop bullying is to talk openly about it.

HELPING OTHERS
You do not have to be the one being bullied yourself to act.
People who bully also get fun and encouragement from the reaction of bystanders. If you see someone else being bullied and do nothing, the bullies may think that you approve of what they are doing.
If you know someone who is being bullied, make sure that teachers know what is going on. If the bully is an adult, talk to a teacher you trust or to your parent or carer.
If you do nothing it could be your turn next…
You can help by: