Kuwait Times

Published Date: May 18, 2007
By Chidi Emmanuel, Staff writer

Children across the world face this every day. Taunting and name calling. Slaps and teasing. Some other kid sticks glue in their hair or dumps their lunch in the trash or in the worst cases, physically assaults them.
 
What is bullying? Bullying is when a person is picked on over and over again by an individual or group with more power, either in terms of physical strength or social status. "Two of the main reasons people are bullied are because of appearance and social status. The bullies pick on the kids they think don't fit in, maybe because of how they look, how they act, their race or religion," said Prince Obodo, a sociologist and a former teacher in a school in Kuwait.
 
Parents are often powerless to protect their children from bullying, even if they know about it. Schoolteachers and administrators may try to help but the world of children is often a world of secrets kept from adults. In Kuwait, many kids suffer in silence or turn to aggressive behavior themselves as a means of protection.

One such student, who asked that his name be withheld, shared his experience with bullies in Kuwait. But some of the bullied-students opened up. "Am really stuck here! I can't even tell anyone because they have already branded me a 'tell-teller' (whistle blower). They [bullies] always throw things on me and insult my country. They don't let me have friends. I have been in this school for eight years; I have never had a friend because of these gangsters. The gang always tells the newcomers bad things about me," a student from the American School of Kuwait lamented.
 
Close to the Al-Qabas School in Salmiya last week, a boy (about 13 years of age) was seen leaning on the wall in tears after school. He claimed he was badly beaten by schoolmates. School bullying has everyone worried - not just the kids on its receiving end because parents, teachers, and other adults don't always see or notice it; they may not understand how extreme bullying can get.
 
Most local schools don't want to talk about bullying. At the American School of Kuwait, a secretary turned this reporter away at the school gate, saying "You are not allowed to come in and discuss such issues." Some schools resort to lengthy bureaucratic processes as a means of killing enquiries before they get any answers. Al-Najat School in Salmiya demanded a clearance from the ministry before they would talk about bullying, and all efforts to speak to the authorities at the British School of Kuwait proved impossible. But some were willing to acknowledge the issue.
 
"Actually, it is becoming a very big problem these days. Some students are becoming too hostile. They try to intimidate others and sometimes go as far as beating their fellow students. In some cases, the bullied will be forced to pay some money (ransom) - and they do so secretly. The bullied will be warned not to tell anyone or face a serious danger. We do expel them (the bullies) when the situation gets out of hand, although we always try our best to contain the situation by engaging their parents," Brian Khol, a school teacher told me in Hawally.
 
"We don't condone bullying in our school. And I can say - there is no room for it here because of our educational system. The students are highly organized and monitored to the extent that any case of bullying is always spotted at the early stage and tackled immediately before it becomes noticeable," said Rev Fr Lionel Braganza, the principal of Indian English Academy School said.
 
"A school should create an environment whereby children understand from the beginning that bullying, and any form of aggression are not acceptable. It is often the absence of such ethos that the potential bullies perceive as acceptance of their aggressive behavior. A policy is a start, but it must be more than just words on paper, it has to be a proactive policy," he added.
 
The principal of the Al-Qabas School Abdulla El Ahmed, explained on some of the measures the school is taking to combat bullying and other anti-social behaviors. "We do call their parents and discuss with them, as we try our possible best to make a stop to it. But if the situation gets out of hand, we either suspend or dismiss the student depending on the gravity of the offense," Abdulla said.
 
"Parents should endeavor to know from the reaction of their children after school if they are being bullied or not. Most times, a kid may start dodging school pretending to be ill. Bullying prevents children from undertaking their studies. Report to the school authorities if you suspect that your child is being bullied at school," Innocent advised.