Some victims of childhood bullying still haven't
recovered from trauma: survey
SINGAPORE: Some victims of childhood bullying do not grow
out of their trauma, according to a recent survey.
It polled Singaporeans between 25 and 29 years old and
found that most victims have a weaker sense of personal well-being,
compared with those who had not been bullied.
As a child, you might have come across the resident school
bully, who could have verbally or physically abused you or your
peers.
These unpleasant encounters sometimes never go
away.
Winston Ong, research officer, Singapore Children's
Society, said: "Respondents who've been bullied before actually
have lower self-esteem and lower levels of well-being. They're also
more depressed as compared to those who have never been
bullied."
The survey was a retrospective one involving 600 young
adults who had studied in a primary or secondary school. One key
finding showed that Malays were being more bullied than
Chinese.
Of those interviewed, 61 per cent of Malays said they had
been bullied, compared with 48 per cent of Chinese
respondents.
Researchers said they don't have any information
explaining why but they do not detect any trends.
One hot topic at this year's Bully-Free forum was cyber
bullying and schools are taking a serious stance on social
networking platforms and blogs.
Associate Professor Ho Peng Kee, Senior Minister of State
for Law & Home Affairs, said: "All reported cases are
investigated. Schools have the autonomy to decide on the
disciplinary measures to take against the offenders as appropriate.
More importantly, however, tough disciplinary measures should be
accompanied by proper education and counselling for the bullies and
victims."
Fortunately, the victims surveyed said their situation
improved most of the time when they sought help from schools,
parents and peers.
- CNA/vm