TIPS THAT MIGHT BE OF HELP

PARENTS SHOULDN’T BE OVER-PROTECTIVE: COPS

PARENTS SHOULD TAKE IT SERIOUSLY

A HISTORY OF TRAGEDY

The victim was upset that no one stood up for him, forcing him to become a ‘laughing stock’Distraught after being bullied in a school van, a 14-year-old student of a reputed school in the city has committed suicide by jumping from the 10th floor of his apartment building on Kan-akapura Road on Wednesday.The victim, who is studying in ninth standard, regularly travelled to and from school in the van. Another student, travelling in the same bus, is alleged to have been bullying the victim who was upset that none of the other students stood up for him, forcing him to become a “laughing stock”.The victim is said to have been depressed over the regular bullying about his physical features. On Wednesday after coming home, he wrote a suicide note and jumped to his death, said sources in the city’s South division police.The note clearly mentions the name of the boy who was bullying him. Based on the suicide note, the boy’s parents have filed a complaint and the police have registered a case of abetment.“The information has also been discussed with school authorities and we have asked them asking them to tell their students not to indulge in bullying. The family of the boy who bullied the victim has also been informed and this boy is said to have been suffering tremendous shock and fear as he did not think that his actions would take the life of another student. Even the versions of the other students who travel in the same bus will have to be recorded,” said an officer who is part of the investigations.The victim’s uncle said that the family was not in a position to discuss the incident. Efforts to get the school’s version of the event failed as repeated phone calls went unanswered.1 Social skills training of children2 Assertiveness skills training of children3 Problem solving skills training of children4 Early identification and management of developmental and behavioral disorders in children5 Training of school teachers in early identification of bullying6 Training of school teachers in classroom management of problem behaviours7 Creating a positive school environment and a sense of belongingness to school8 Mental health evaluation for victims and perpetrators of bullying“Parents should make their kids understand real-life situations instead of being over-protective. If the child is not trained to handle situations in his childhood, then they will face the consequences later in life. Studying books is not life. Kids who are street-smart can handle any situation. If a kid faces any problems, the parents should attend to it immediately instead of ignoring it.”The American Psychological Association states that bullying is commonly characterised as aggressive behaviour that is intended to cause distress or harm, involves an imbalance of power or strength between the aggressor and the victim, and commonly occurs repeatedly over time.According to a study titled, The relationship between bullying and suicide, it has been ascertained that bullying behaviour and suicide-related behaviour are closely related. This means youth who report any involvement with bullying behavior are more likely to report high levels of suicide-related behaviour than youth who do not report any involvement with bullying. Bullying has a serious impact on a child’s physical, mental, moral and social development. Unfortunately, bullying is taken lightly and is often seen as something that helps children become strong, but parents should talk about it and when reported, should take such incidences seriously.Bullying may take many forms, including physical bullying; teasing or name calling; social exclusion; peer sexual harassment; bullying about race, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity; and cyber bullying. Bullying has been found to be related to negative psychosocial functioning among children who are victimized, including lowered self-esteem; higher rates of depression; anxiety; feelings of loneliness; suicidal ideation; and higher rates of school absenteeism.Many countries implement bullying prevention programs in schools. We need to tackle the silent menace of bullying by involving children, peers, parents, and teachers etc. and set proper grievance redressal cells.A 15-year-old schoolboy committed suicide due to alleged harassment by his principal. The boy was studying in a private school in Yeshwanthpur. The victim, who had a knack for electrical work, was often asked to help repair fans, faulty switchboards, and do other menial electrical work in school. In mid-July, a computer crashed while he was attempting to repair it and the principal was alleged to have demanded Rs 40,000, which the boy or his parents failed to give.A 15-year-old class X student girl plunged to her death from her 10th floor home at an upscale apartment on Hosur Road. The victim was a student of a reputed private school in HSR Layout. The school’s alleged reaction for her ‘friendship’ with a boy in her class, who also happened to live in her apartment, is said to be the reason for the suicideA 15-year-old boy, a resident of Basaveshwaranagar, reportedly committed suicide after scoring low marks in his preparatory exams. The victim was a student of standard 10. He took the extreme step by hanging himself from the ceiling fan in his room.Upset over his parents scolding him to go for tuitions, a 14-year-old boy studying in the ninth standard, committed suicide by throwing himself in front of a moving train near Deepanjali Nagar. The city railway police registered a case.Depressed over his friends at the NCC allegedly ragging him for being too thin, a 14-year-old boy committed suicide by hanging himself in JB Nagar. The deceased, an eighth standard student was at a private school in Indiranagar. The boy was allegedly being harassed and teased by his classmates at the NCC for being too thin and ‘physically unfit’.Upset over being chided by his mother for watching television instead of studying, an 11-year-old boy committed suicide by hanging himself in his house in Vijnapura in Ramamurthy Nagar. The victim was in the sixth standard.A 17-year-old student in his first-year PUC who failed to get his hall-ticket allegedly committed suicide. The victim was studying in a private college in Hennur.