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Bullying is an intentional, inhumane act of hurting another person or group physically, especially to cause them psychological harm. This is very common in schools, workplaces and even in our own homes. It can be done in many ways like name calling, teasing about the appearances or background, cyberbullying, spreading gossip, physical bullying and controlling behaviours.
Studies show that people under peer pressure and with lower IQ, aggressive individuals, those with low self-esteem, socially insecure and people seeking control are more likely to bully others.
If not addressed in time, the deteriorating mental health can even result in the victim harming themselves physically. Bullying is not something to do for the sake of fun. The effects of bullying may not always show on the outside. We can never truly know how badly it is affecting someone's mind and their life beneath the surface.
In the context of Nepal, it's a shame and a silent crime that schools do nothing to prevent bullying. Bullying breeds the beginning of self-doubt, that intense feeling of "what is so wrong with me?","why is this happening to me?","why am I not enough?" In the victim's mind and soul, these thoughts slowly become their worst enemy, eroding their confidence and distorting the way they see themselves, gradually making them hate their own life.
Bullying should not be taken lightly. Bullying at the school level means bullying a child no older than 16 or 18! Isn't that age when the soul is most fragile? To withstand such inhumanity during such a fragile phase of life when the heart has barely begun to trust and the eyes have yet to fully witness life's beauty can totally transform the way one sees the world. To carry such harshness before one even learns to live can be devastating.
Bullying others doesn't make anyone look cool. If you are one of those being bullied, don't be ashamed to seek help from parents, teachers and elders. Your mental health matters greatly! Learn to fight back! Understand that you are stronger than the bullies. Also, parents should teach their children to be kind and grow into good human beings. Ignoring bullying is also violence.
It's weird and concerning that even today Nepal lacks dedicated NGOs or government bodies to address such serious social issues of bullying in educational institutions. It is time for all educational institutions to seriously question how effectively their anti-bullying policies are being implemented.
Understand, bullying is weakness, kindness is strength.
