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Bullying and abuse
If you're being bullied you don’t have to put up with it, there are lots of things that can be done to make your life easier.
Bullying is when someone calls you names, teases you or tries to hurt you on purpose. It can also include stealing your money or belongings or making up things to get you into trouble. Bullies may be aggressive or threatening to you or they may ignore you completely and make you an outcast – this is bullying too.
How can you deal with bullies?
- Keep telling yourself that bullying is wrong and it’s not your fault. You don’t have to put up with it.
- Tell a teacher who you get on well with first. The school has a duty to make sure you’re safe. If you’re not happy telling your teacher, then talk to a friend, family member or your Personal Adviser.
- Get a group of others together who also want to do something about bullying and persuade the school to do something about it – there’s strength in numbers. Suggest the school has a ‘bully box’ where you can leave comments.
- Keep a diary of what’s happening. It will be easier to prove later on.
- Think up funny or clever replies in advance and make a joke of it. Bullies don’t like clever people.
- Walk away – it’s harder to bully someone if they’re not listening.
- Don’t fight back if you can help it – you could make things worse!
Text bullies
Always be careful about who you give your mobile number to. If you're being bullied by text or in a chatroom save the texts or comments – remember, bullying is against the law. You can get more tips on how to beat the text bullies on www.stoptextbully.com.
You shouldn’t try to sort it all out on your own and you don’t have to suffer in silence. For more information about bullying and how to stop it, you can call:
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Childline – 0800 1111
Anti-bullying Campaign - 0207 3781446
Connexions Direct - 080 800 13 2 19
Useful links:
Respect Not Fear - Nottinghamshire website all about violence in teenage relationships
