Bullying

One in every three students between 13 and 15 is said to experience bullying on a regular basis.¹ Child Helpline International reports receiving over 4 million calls from children reporting bullying, abuse and violence in the last decade.² Cyberbullying is becoming a more prevalent form of bullying with the spread of technology. Approximately 10 percent of parents around the world report that their child has been the victim of cyberbullying.³ Based on the children who contact the Child Helpline International hotlines, around nine in ten instances of bullying take place in school.⁴ However, perpetrators are not limited to student peers; one in three cases of bullying in schools was perpetrated by an adult or teacher.⁵ Male teachers were responsible for twice as many instances of bullying as female teachers.⁶ Victims of bullying can experience depression, anxiety, substance abuse, limited social functioning and poor academic performance.⁷ Additionally, there are strong correlations between bullying and mental illness, with children who report being bullied frequently being at a greater risk for suicidal behavior.⁸