By Felicia Browne From Caribbean News Now

The Caribbean Mentorship Institute expresses condolences to the families of the young Moesha Primus of St Vincent. Bullying is a serious violation against a child’s right to live in a safe and violence-free environment. The Institute, which has embarked on a number of pilot training programs across the Caribbean region, believes that a number of students, teachers and community members should be trained in bullying-intervention methods. However, as it stands, Caribbean countries, with the exception of Barbados, have been slow to implement such programs in schools.

We can no longer wait for another child to be murdered or harmed by a fellow student. We must begin the interventions that are necessary to assist our young people to manage their differences in non-violent ways.

The death of young Moesha is another example of the dangerous consequences of violence in schools. The psychological trauma that the students endure can affect the way they feel about safety within their schools. Too often in the Caribbean, many believe that bullying is an American thing in which students carry guns to schools.

But right here in the Caribbean region we have observed children carrying weapons, and conducting other forms of intimation. It is truly a sad state of affairs when we blame our children, while at the same time not educating them on alternative behaviours that may save a life one day.

Bullying is defined as when someone repeatedly and on purpose says or does mean or hurtful things to another person who has a hard time defending himself or herself. The scope and impact of bullying demands a coherent, integrated and comprehensive holistic public approach. Bullying is an extensive quandary in our schools and has an unconstructive impact on school climate and on students’ right to learn in a protected and secure environment without fear.

Once considered as a rite of passage or disruptive behaviour that helps build character, bullying is now known to have long-term academic, physical, and emotional effects on both the victim and the bully. The health issues experienced by children involved in bullying — whether participating in, being targeted by or witnessing bullying behaviours — are significant. Headaches, stomach aches and sleep problems are only a few of the physical and/or psychosomatic symptoms faced by some children. Additionally, anxiety, depression and other mood disorders are significantly associated with children who are bullied in school. Academically, bullying takes a toll.

Research has shown that children who are excluded from the peer group in early grades are at greater risk of academic difficulties. Socially, boys who were identified as bullies in middle school were over three times as likely to have multiple criminal convictions by their early 20s, and higher self-reports of drug and alcohol use. They also are more likely than their peers to be involved in other antisocial, violent, or troubling behaviour, including fighting, vandalism, stealing, weapon-carrying, school dropouts, and poor school achievement.

We cannot continue to debate who is responsible to protect our children while they are in our care. Our children are being bullied daily by their peers and even teachers in some cases. We must implement the necessary policies that will make their lives much more peaceful and productive during their academic undertakings. Bullying is a human rights violation and our students must be able to recognise when they are being bullied and what procedures are in place to protect them.

Our teachers, educational faculty and employees must all be educated on the various types of bullying and the appropriate solutions to manage them correctly. As a society, our educational systems are our greatest strengths; we must never allow it to be interrupted by causes that can be easily corrected. Bullying is a threat to learning and a threat to the rights of children.
IMAGE: felcia_browne3.jpg
Felicia Browne is a feminist philosopher at the University of the West Indies and human rights advisor

For more on this story go to: http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/headline-Commentary%3A-Implement-bullying-intervention-programs-in-Caribbean-schools-26644.html