As a writer on children’s rights, the subject of abuse is commonplace, however the types of abuse are as varied as they are haunting. Most often I write about the horrors physical abuse, child labor, sex trafficking, etc. Though we often forget to bring much needed attention and awareness to the issues of verbal abuse. Even more so we all too often fail to cover, and jump immediately to think of as abuse, is the bullying of children by other children. The reality is that bullying is abuse regardless if it is physical or not and the effects on those who are verbally bullied and assaulted daily are often deeper than the physical wounds of abuse.
When a child is being bullied at school who is at fault when it goes wrong and escalates past light ( I shudder away from saying harmless as I feel there is no such thing as a harmless taunt) hallway taunts is often a question left linger unanswered in the wind or answered all too late. The harrowing reality of the tragic impact of the extreme bullying of one young girl came to a tragic end on January 14, 2010. Phoebe Prince was only 15 years-old when her bullying nightmare came to an end as she took her own life. What was daily torture for the young teen all too soon became unbearable as she quickly felt there was no escape from the nightmare that had be come her life after her family moved from Ireland to South Hadley, Massachusetts.
The girl and her mother had tried to seek interventions by the school into the bullying that had only seemed to escalate, but these pleas went unanswered or were written of as child’s play that would soon just go away. Yes, its true we all say “kids will be kids” and teasing to a point has become seen as a normal part of growing-up. However where is the line drawn and when and how should teachers and parents be getting involved? I for one have heard of one too many suicides (one is too many) by children and teens who had felt nothing but isolation and torture as bullies at school made their lives a personal living hell.
Now with technology in every child’s hands bullying is even easier, quicker and can be more widespread with only a click of a button or mouse. Children text images and rumors, sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter can all serve as platforms to abuse and deface one and other. Facebook was one of Phoebe Prince’s mediums of torture and even followed her to the moments preceding her suicide when a Bully writes ‘accomplished’ on Phoebe Prince’s Facebook page on day of death.
The case of Phoebe Prince has sparked debate on all sides as the investigation has widely broken that her bullying was neither isolated nor unknown or witnessed by her peers and school administrators. Last week the DA issued nine indictments against students on various charges of harassment (there is no law on bullying) and 2 accounts of statutory rape were also filed against students following the continued investigation into the case (Fox). No charges have been brought against school administrators and none were to be filed by the DA leaving the Prince family and others outraged, the family is now looking to file a civil suit against the school for their role in preventing the continual bullying of the young teen (Boston Herald). The case has brought much light to the need to clearly define “bullying” and has now led to a new anti-bullying law which is currently working its way through the Massachusetts legislature, which currently has provisions that require principals to report bullying to law enforcement officials if they suspect that it might warrant criminal charges.
Everyday millions of people obliviously walk by victims of abuse; we blatantly ignore the signs of domestic violence, child abuse, human trafficking, bullying, sexual abuse and so much more. But why? Why do we ignore the signs’ when one feels in your gut that there is something wrong with the situation? Are we just too scared to know the truth or do we think there is nothing we can do? I believe the answer to the last question is that, yes, they are scared and yes often people thing there is nothing they can do. But that is where we are wrong, we can all do something and we don’t have to be scared either as a witness or a victim. As a society we need to become more aware and more empowered or victims will go on being victims and the numbers will continue to grow, in all cases of abuse, including bullying.
So if you see a child or adolescent that is being bullied or abused don’t stand helplessly by and let them suffer, report it, talk to the child, and look for the signs. We can put an end to the violence and it starts with one child, one school, one community and we are well on our way to winning the fight.
If you are a child or teen facing bulling please do not be afraid and report the abuse to a trusted adult right away or contact one of the following Crisis Hotlines for help.
To see current information and news reports on the Phoebe Prince case click here.
Please also see the following resource lists: Books for Children and Parents of Victims of Abuse and Links for Abused Children and Parents
