Some people in Thailand think bullying in schools is a normal part of a child's development process, often downplaying it as children "having fun". But the fact is that bullying is not acceptable behaviour and stamping it out requires a proactive approach from both schools and parents.
Two incidents of bullying, which went viral on social media last week, should serve as an alarm bell for both parents and educators to start taking urgent steps to address the problem, before it spirals out of control.
The first case concerns a junior high school student, and was made public by the popular Facebook page, Mor Lab Panda (Lab Doctor Panda). The post said the girl -- who had just won a diary-writing competition at her school -- was chosen to represent her school at a national competition. But things took a dark turn, when her parents discovered that the winning entry, which everyone thought was a piece of creative writing, turned out to be her real, lived experience.
"Tua Pralard ["freak"] is the term my friends use to refer to me. The way they stayed away from me, and left me to complete all our group work alone...these are some of the memories that I would like to shut down forever," read an excerpt from her diary.
It turned out she had experienced severe bullying, both verbal and physical, at school -- simply because she was unusually hairy for a teen her age.
The second case involved a 15-year-old student in Songkhla's Hat Yai district, who is now being treated for serious injuries after he jumped from the fourth floor of his school building.
Although an investigation into the incident is still ongoing, his parents said the boy had been subjected to intense bullying by his classmates. Several witnesses said the teen had been seen crying after meeting up with his classmates.
These incidents, unfortunately, are just the tip of the iceberg. There are undoubtedly many more similar cases, many of which go unnoticed, or are not reported at all.
A study by the Department of Mental Health in 2018 showed that 40% of Thai students surveyed, or about 600,000 students, had experienced some degree of bullying at school. This meant the country was only second to Japan when it comes to bullying at schools.
A more recent study by the department found more than 50% of youths surveyed admitted to having engaged in some form of cyberbullying.
Schools and teachers must pay extra attention and take a more proactive approach to prevent, if not, eliminate, bullying among students.
The Education Ministry must launch a set of policies to stamp out bullying in schools.
These policies should clearly outline what constitutes bullying, how incidents of bullying should be reported and dealt with and provide training to school staff to handle bullying among students.
Schools should educate students on bullying and its impact. Students must be encouraged to speak up if they are being bullied, or see incidents of bullying. Schools must also provide counselling to victims.
Parents must also cooperate with schools to create a safe learning environment at home, by monitoring their children's online activity, and teaching their children about empathy and respect for others.
Stamping out bullying requires systematic and collaborative efforts from all stakeholders. Without such efforts, bullying at schools will continue, harming the psychological well-being of our future generation.
