New Report Shows That Bullying is A Worldwide Issue
Written by Cristo Rogers, Posted on , in Section Teens & Tweens
Teenage Bullying, A Global Issue
What do the children of the United States, Pakistan, Uganda, and Sierra Leonne have in common?
The Answer: Bullies.
As it turns out, bullying is a global issue. UNICEF conducted a portal U-Report that included 100,000 young people from developing regions, such as Mozambique, Swaziland, Mali, Guinea, and Zambia. In addition to their myriad of terrible social issues, these underdeveloped countries also reportedly have an issue with bullying.
Our world is divided by cultures, politics, and spirituality. In fact, -in terms of shared customs- there are few things our nations' youth have in common with third world children. Unfortunately, polls now show that what unifies them is none other than their country's failure to protect children from tormenters.
90% of Children Suffer at the Hands of Bullys, Globally
Staggering results also show that 9 out of 10 youth globally say that bullying is a major issue in need of change. This is especially shocking considering the fact that these polls come from war-torn and impoverished countries. These children, who face daily threats of famine, hunger, and violence, still claim that bullying remains to be one of their top complaints. These disenfranchised youth's issue with bullies serves as tangible proof that bullying is more than just a juvenile behavior children grow out of.
The studies showed that of the 100,000 children volunteers, roughly two-thirds reported having personal experiences with harassment.
"Kids can be cruel, and usually are, when there is an opportunity," Kseniya, 18, of Ukraine told UNICEF. "When someone is too loud, quiet, honest, weird — basically, simply different — there's a high chance that the group would not accept him or her and make this person an outsider."
Out of all of the countries on the list, the young people of Sierra Leone reported the highest percentage of bullying. According to the UNICEF's polls, 72 % of the country's youth reported that they suffered from daily bullying. Uganda and Nigeria weren't too far behind with 70% and 69%, respectively.
Bullying: The Silent Self-Confidence Killer
Unfortunately, the parallels of our culture's bully epidemic don't stop there. Like many of our nation's bullying victims, children from the study say they keep their torment a secret. What's more, the children who did voice their harassment only told one sibling or a friend.
"Young people have to accept each other the way they are," Alfabeto, 20, of Mozambique told UNICEF. "For that, it is imperative to respect our differences and change our mindset."
Standing Up for The Future of This World
Bullying has been around since the dawn of time. Sumerian children of ancient Mesopotamia would likely have had similar results if polled 6,000 years ago. While it is inconceivable to eradicate daily adolescent harassment completely, there are ways in which we can help. By increasing awareness about the dangers and psychological damages of bullying, we can curb the overall devastation of child harassment.
No child deserves to be psychologically tormented. As the protectors and guardians of these defenseless children, we need to take a stand. If nothing else, this global issue has proven that beneath all of our differences - whether it be religion, skin color, culture or political views- we are all the same sensitive and vulnerable people in need of the love and support that every human deserves.
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In poll data released Friday for International Youth Day, more than 100,000 young people from 18 countries talked about the impact bullying has had on their lives and communities.
