Windhoek
An anti-bullying campaign designed to combat victimisation, has got off to a good start. This is the view of some youngsters, who have experienced bullying, on the recent launch of an anti-bullying campaign, following several high-profile suicides among children, related to bullying.
Gloria Witbooi (20) , now a student at the Polytechnic of Namibia, says she was bullied from primary school up to high school, and that she was picked on every day due to her ethnicity.
“At first I took it as a joke, but it just came to a point where the name-calling was getting out of hand. I didn’t even remember what it was about, because I blocked it out. I just remember feeling miserable everyday going to school. I’d come home crying. It went on and on and I told them to stop, because I didn’t like it but it got even worse,” says Witbooi.
Bullying is defined as unwanted, aggressive behaviour among children of schoolgoing age, involving real or perceived power imbalances. The behaviour is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Children, who are bullied and those who bully others, may suffer serious, lasting problems.
Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumours, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose. Bullying happens in the classroom and through phonecalls, letters/notes, text messaging, Facebook, and even behind people’s back.
It’s not easy to stop bullying, because most bullies are able to cover up their tracks. Bullies tend to bully where and when people in authority cannot see or hear them.
Adora says the bullying affected her so badly that she sometime faked sickness so that she wouldn’t have to go to school. “I would lie to my parents that I’m not feeling well so that I don’t have to face the pestering awaiting me at school.”
Even after staying away from school for a few days, it did not change Witbooi’s situation, until she decided to tell someone about it.
“One of my teachers saw that something was holding me back, I was not performing as well as I used to. She called me after school asking what was bothering me and I told her everything that had been happening and after she spoke to the bullies, everything changed.
“They never called me names again. Some even became my friends. I’m glad that more is being done to stop bullying, especially in schools, because bullying is a silent killer,” she says.