The Ministry of Education will be implementing even stricter anti-bullying measures across all schools in the British Virgin Islands following reports which suggest an increase in bullying in local schools.
Acting Chief Education Officer Connie George made the disclosure during the opening ceremony for Anti-Bullying Week which commenced on Sunday October 17.
CEO George said that despite the presence of bullying being in almost all aspects of today’s society, it will not be tolerated in schools across the territory.
She said, “Bullying is real and it comes in different forms and at different magnitudes of expression, but it is all bad and will erode and destroy a person. There are many issues in the news that involve bullying and the bad things that happen. People are affected from being bullied, bullying is happening everywhere and the chances that you will encounter it is high.”
“There seemed to be an increase in the number of reports of cases of bullying in recent weeks, but I send a loud message today that no form of bullying will be tolerated in schools. Outside of the usual measures we are prepared to implement additional corrective measures to bring bullying under control and eminently eradicate it,” the Acting CEO added.
Bullying has severe consequences among children
The education boss also pointed to empirical data which shows the very harsh reality of the effects bullying can have among children.
She listed five main consequences of bullying which have been observed not only internationally, but also domestically in the territory.
“Research shows, one, children who were frequently bullied by the peers were more likely to develop psychotic symptoms in their early adolescence. Two, girls were much more likely than boys to be victims of both cyber and traditional bullying. Three, young people who bully have a one in four chance of having a criminal record by the age of 30. Four, bullying is the fourth most common reason young people suffer from mental health issues and five, extreme bullying, often using sexual slurs is becoming a common experience for students of all ages and in particular for children age 11 to 13,” George explained.
One kind word can go a long way
The theme for this year’s Anti-Bullying Week is “One Kind Word” and Minister of Education Dr Natalio Wheatley said that positive minded words can go a long way in combating bullying across the territory.
“One kind word may well be all that is needed to initiate change. Kind words have the capacity to shift our focus to things that are more positive and open a door to healing and growth. A kind word, expresses care and it encourages. Proverbs 15:4 reminds us that gentle words bring life and health. The use of kind words is something that as a community, we can all practice. As a response strategy to bullying it is brilliant. It allows all to engage in a practice that reduces the bullying of children and young people,” he explained.
The education minister challenged residents to refrain from using unkind words on social media and from listening to such words on television or in popular music for the duration of the week.
He said it is a small step, but one if adopted by the community, will assist in reducing incidences of bullying in the BVI.