Support the cause by signing the Petition HERE & Helping Children Believe in a Violence FREE World

Ayush was a young boy of 10 studying in a school only consisting of boys. He was not aggressive like other boys and was generally a calm and quiet child. He did not like football and other games played by boys of his age. He was soft-spoken and quiet, not boisterous like his other classmates. He loved dance and studying. Sadly, a few boys in his class started being mean to him and bullying him every day.

They would call him names like ‘girly’ and ‘Ayushi’ instead of Ayush! They used to tease him everyday. They would tell him he was like a girl and crack jokes about him. They constantly made fun of him and this teasing almost drove him to depression. He would be on the verge of tears everyday after school and cried himself to sleep every night.

Sadly and unfortunately incidents like the above do occur in schools. The term is known as bullying and it is a very humiliating and painful experience for the victim. But right steps taken by parents and teachers at the right time can help the child to cope with the situation.

(The above story is completely fictitious and has been written to dramatize a situation of a child being bullied.)

Here is a small presentation made by children’s advisory board (CAB) of Plan India for the children on bullying and how to fight bullying in their respective environments http://www.slideshare.net/LWFIndia/bullying-a-painful-experience

Have you ever been bullied or been a bully? Have you ever witnessed children in school being harassed and teased by others? To share your tips, views, and experiences, please leave your comment.

Who are at the Risk of Being Bullied?

It is very often children with special needs, handicapped children, overweight children, children who are shy and anxious and others with certain psychological traits who become victims of bullying.
Studies show that overweight adolescents are more likely to be bullied by their classmates than those of normal weight. The bullies pass nasty comments on them and tease them. Children with a handicap or a disability are often an easy target. Bullies often target those with disabilities because they are easier to pick on. These children generally don’t fight back or complain about it especially if they have an inability to communicate properly.

Effects of Bullying on Children

Bullied children often feel neglected and lonely. They are made fun of and left out of groups on purpose. At such times the support and care of parents and teachers will help them to fight bullies. Children who are being bullied dislike going to school and the very thought of going to school makes them fearful and uneasy. Bullying can also have long-term effects on both the bullies and the bullied. Studies show that bullies are more likely to engage in criminal activity at a young age itself .Children who have been bullied are more likely to suffer from low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, loneliness and other negative emotions. In some severe cases the bullied child may also experience unwanted thoughts. Therefore, it is very necessary for parents to take the right steps to help their child to come out of this situation.

Why are some Children Bullies?

There are many reasons why some children bully others. Bullies are children who like to dominate others. Bullies are often children who want to feel important and want to make themselves popular. Bullying children who are weaker than themselves makes them feel big and powerful. Some children who bully are attention-seeking. Children who do not get emotional support at home and are not given attention at home may try to attract attention towards themselves in the classroom through bullying. In some cases, a child who is bullied sometimes ends up bullying others. Other factors such as teacher’s indifference to the victims and bad disciplining by parents of bullies can also cause bullying.

Support the cause by signing the Petition HERE & Helping Children Believe in a Violence FREE World

On 20th of November 2009, a state consultation meeting was organized by Plan India with the stake holders like SCERT, NCERT, All India Primary Teachers’ Federation, Education Ministry, SSA, NGOs, NCPCR, State commission etc to meet and strategize implementation of guidelines for reporting mechanisms recently issued by the Directorate of Education to stop violence in schools

The state consultation meeting was a huge success and helped chart out recommendations for each stakeholder group, which, if implemented could help go a long way to create an environment which is conducive for fearless learning for children.

The consultation was attended by representatives from DCPCR, MCD, SSA, AIPTF, and Civil society organizations like Chetna, Shiksha, Save the Children etc.

The key take away from the consultation was:

• Training of teachers at all levels
• Inclusion of rights of children issue in curriculum for teacher training
• Children’s participation should be increased in all aspects
• Strengthening of Parents teacher Association through improved availability of platforms
• To assess the root cause of the issue (violence in schools) and try to manage the bottlenecks
• Focus on development of friendly environment in and around school premises
• Positive Information, Education and communication campaign including posters/messages in schools
• Alternatives to punishment need to be drafted out and made part of the Teacher training programs
A key aspect which was drawn during the consultation was a strong reporting mechanism which would help students voice their opinions and complaints to the right authorities. Some of the key suggestions to improve these reporting mechanisms are:

• Suggestion boxes in schools for children
• Class/School monitors who can act as observers and reporting messengers
• Democracy game in schools to be promoted
• Orientation of  Child welfare committee

All participants agreed that teachers remain the core to all the above mandates and they will be always be the driving factor in developing and implementing any all suggestion listed above.

The representatives from Government organizations assured their full support for piloting the above in some sample schools. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is presently undertaking training to Parent Teacher Association members of all the schools in Delhi who has extended their full support and invited to join the training program.

Please do let us know if you think of any further initiatives which could be undertaken to help create a fearless learning environment for children.

An initiative by Plan India to make learning in a safe environment

2 out of every 3 children reported being physically abused. 62% of the reported corporal punishment was reported in government and municipal schools in India * Ministry of women and child development

Presently, punishment as a form of discipline is prevalent and also considered an unavoidable part of growing up. Teachers also feel that they use corporal punishments not to hurt children but to discipline them as they themselves were turned right in the same way by their teachers and parents. Therefore there is no harm in using corporal punishment in schools.

The fact remains that corporal punishment breaches children’s fundamental rights to respect for human dignity and physical integrity. Corporal punishment does not really work. It only creates an environment of fear and distrust between children and teachers and should be replaced by non-violent methods of discipline.

Learn without Fear, Plan’s second global advocacy campaign, is about preventing all forms of violence against children in schools. The vision is to make a world where children can go to school in safety and expect a quality learning experience without fear or threats of violence. To achieve this it is important that first teachers as well as students acknowledge the fact that it is the right of the child to feel safe and protected. Many child rights organizations have been engaged in generating this awareness on children’s rights to protection. The challenge now is to have clear reporting mechanisms in place where children could report any kind of assault or abuse they face in or outside the school and it is appropriately addressed. There is a need to involve teachers, parents teachers associations, students to work together to create an atmosphere of trust and safety in schools.

In order to have reporting mechanisms for children in schools, it is important to have views of likeminded people from various backgrounds like representatives from school, SCERT, NCERT, All India, Primary Teachers’ Federation, Education Ministry, SSA, NGOs, INGOs, NCPCR, State commission etc and strategize to facilitate implementation of guidelines for reporting mechanisms recently issued by the Directorate of Education. 

As 20th November is recognized as International Children’ Day, it is the right time to begin thinking on developing reporting mechanisms for children so that they are able to expedite their right to protection. Hence, a state consultation is being organized with the key stake holders for taking these guidelines to schools and strategizing its implementation at school level. Some of the key dignitaries who will be part of this consultation are  Swatantra Bala, Additional Directorate of Education, MCD Shri. Amod Kanth Chairperson DCPCR, Mr. Ram Pal, President All India Primary Teachers’ Federation and Key dignitaries from Ministry of Education

Since the circular issued by the office of Directorate Education on additional guidelines to address corporal punishment in schools, is a very timely intervention from the government, the proposed state consultation will be a step ahead to facilitate implementation of these guidelines. Further, in this platform the Code of Professional Ethics for Teachers developed by All India Primary Teachers’ Federation will also be shared with other stakeholders.

We will share the proposed guidelines discussed in the above platform in our next post.

Please follow us at @LWFIndia on twitter to get live updates on the state consultation briefing to be held in Delhi on 20th November 2009, 11am (IST) onwards.