Part Two

Why bully?

Stress and Trauma: Data shows that those who bully are far more likely than average to have experienced a stressful or traumatic situation in the past 5 years. Examples include their parents/guardians splitting up, the death of a relative or the gaining of a little brother or sister.

Aggressive Behaviours: 66% of the people who admitted to bullying somebody else were male. Take a minute to think about how guys are raised in our culture and compare that to the ways in which girls are raised. The moment a guy starts to show any sign of emotion, he’s told to man up and to stop being a girl.

Low Self-Esteem: In order to mask how they actually feel about themselves, some people who bully focus attention on someone else. They try to avoid any negative attention directed at them by deflecting.

They’ve Been Bullied: Research shows that those who have experienced bullying are twice as likely to go on and bully others. Maybe they were bullied as kids in the past, or maybe they are being bullied now.

Difficult Home Life: 1 in 3 of those who bully people daily say that they feel like their parents/guardians don’t have enough time to spend with them. They are more likely to come from larger families and are more likely to live with people other than their biological parents.

Low Access to Education: Without access to education, hate-based conversation directed at others may be the norm. They may not understand what hate speech is and why speaking about people in a derogatory way is not appropriate.

Relationships: Finally, those who bully are more likely to feel like their friendships and family relationships aren’t very secure. In order to keep friendships, they might be pressured by their peers to behave in a certain way.

Part Four

Stop the Bully - 5 tips

• Stand up to the bully - This advice works regardless of your age. Bullies tend to prey on people that are weaker than they are. When you show a bully that you are confident and that their tactics aren't working, you steal their power and cause them to lose control.

• Have a support group - This is another tip that helps at any age. Bullies often act alone, and they don't want to take on an entire group. If you have a good group of friends that you can lean on for support, it might cause your bully to think twice.

• Stay neutral - This can be hard to do when you're trying not to show emotion while you're being bullied, but if you get angry or confrontational, you will only encourage their behavior.

• Deal with it quickly - The longer a bully gets away with bullying you, the harder it can be to get them to stop. If you take immediate action when you first experience bullying.

• Don't keep secrets - If you are being bullied in school, you need to find a trusted adult to talk to. This could be a teacher, a parent, or a mentor.