Relationships

Anti-Bullying Week

Anti-Bullying Week

Anti-Bullying Week takes place in the third week of November (this year it’s happening from Monday 14th – Friday 18th) and the theme for this year’s Anti-Bullying Week is Reach Out.

Read on to find out how Beyond is supporting the Anti-Bullying Alliance with this important event. 

What Is Bullying?

Bullying is repeated behaviour that is intended to hurt someone either emotionally or physically. Bullying can happen to anyone,  and people who bully others often do so to gain a feeling of power, purpose and control over another person.

This might be due to a lack of security in relationships and friendships, low self-esteem, peer pressure, or a lack of understanding of someone’s characteristics.

All bullying, whatever the method or motivation, is unacceptable and should not be tolerated. There is no justifiable excuse for bullying and it needs to be prevented.

You can usually tell if bullying is taking place if:

  • the actions are intended to cause harm;
  • the behaviour is repeated over a period of time;
  • the person being targeted is physically or emotionally impacted;
  • there is an imbalance of power (e.g. one person is physically stronger or has some kind of advantage over the other person).

Bullying behaviour can be split into several different groups:

Physical Bullying

Physical action intended to hurt or intimidate another person, for example, punching, kicking or tripping, or touching them or their possessions in unwanted or inappropriate ways.

Verbal Bullying

Using cruel or abusive language (written or spoken) to hurt another person, for example, name-calling, making threats or making disrespectful comments about their appearance or other characteristics.

Psychological Bullying

Actions and behaviour intended to negatively affect another person’s mental health and/or wellbeing, for example deliberately isolating or excluding them, threatening, humiliating or manipulating them.

Sexual Bullying

Targeting someone with sexual actions or comments, including uninvited inappropriate touching or sharing intimate photos of someone without their permission.

Cyberbullying

Using electronic communication, such as social networking sites, gaming sites, chat rooms or messaging apps to send hurtful messages or make comments about another person. This is also referred to as online bullying.

Some bullying actions might fall into more than one of these groups, while others may not obviously fit into any of them.

Draw attention to the types of bullying by displaying our Types of Bullying Display Poster in your classroom.

Anti-Bullying Week and the Anti-Bullying Alliance

Anti-Bullying Week is an annual event that takes place in the UK in the third week of November. It started in 2002 and has grown year upon year, with an estimated 80% of schools in the UK taking part today, reaching over 7.5 million children and young people.

Anti-Bullying Week is coordinated by the Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA) in England and Wales and the Northern Ireland Anti-Bullying Forum (ABA’s sister organisation) in Northern Ireland.

Their vision is to stop bullying and create safer environments in which children and young people can live, grow, play and learn.

Why Is It Needed?

A quarter of people aged 12-18 have experienced some form of bullying in the last year. This might be from people at school, work, online or even those in their own home.

Research shows that:

  • 30% of children have been bullied in the last year alone. 
  • 17% have been bullied online. 
  • Approximately one child in every classroom experiences bullying each day. 

Anti-Bullying Week aims to raise awareness about bullying of children and young people, in schools and elsewhere, and to highlight ways of preventing it and responding to it.

Find out more about anti-bullying week and what it achieves with the Anti-Bullying Alliance. 

Share the message with your students with our What Is Anti-Bullying Week? PowerPoint.

Reach Out

The theme for Anti-Bullying Week 2022 is Reach Out. The event will kick off with Odd Socks Day on Monday 14th November.

The ABA have outlined their call to action in light of this theme:

  • Bullying affects millions of lives and can leave us feeling hopeless. But it doesn’t have to be this way. If we challenge it, we can change it. And it starts by reaching out.
  • Whether it’s in school, at home, in the community or online, let’s reach out and show each other the support we need. Reach out to someone you trust if you need to talk. Reach out to someone you know is being bullied. Reach out and consider a new approach.
  • And it doesn’t stop with young people. From teachers to parents and influencers to politicians, we all have a responsibility to help each other reach out. Together, let’s be the change we want to see. Reflect on our own behaviour, set positive examples and create kinder communities.
  • It takes courage, but it can change lives. So, this Anti-Bullying Week, let’s come together and reach out to stop bullying.

Anti-Bullying Week 2022: Reach Out (Anti-Bullying Alliance)

For additional links to useful resources, you may like to check out the list below.

Anti-Bullying Week – Useful Links

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