Bullying and Suicide in Children

Why is it that bullying is increasing? Elementary school teachers seem to ignore it. I really don’t blame them completely. The level of disrespect in general by children ages six to twelve is virtually left unchecked. My reasoning for this is the lack of discipline a teacher may use. An unruly child can no longer be put in the corner, or paddled in extreme cases. This is child abuse. I’m certainly not advocating physical violence but would like to know some working alternatives.  
According to the National Bullying Prevention Center, one out of four children are being bullied and that’s just the reported cases. 64% of cases are not reported. Good news is that 57% is stopped by the victims’ peers. Studies show that schools with anti bullying programs reduce this abuse by 27%. Doesn’t sound like a lot, does it? We have restricted the behavior of our teachers to such a degree that some children call their teacher names, talk back, throw fits and worse. Even acting out loudly in a principal’s office when retained as a disciplinary measure goes without correction. The school staff has their hands tied.
Bullied children go to school every day wondering if this day their lunch will be stolen, or giggled and laughed at by “former friends”, or isolated on the playground. Why they are so cruel to each other is a mystery to me. Perhaps this behavior is handed down from the previous generation, or their parents treat them this way at home and it comes “naturally”.  
As a grandparent this escalation worries me. Is part of it the attitudes of the media, television, cinema, video and computer games with violence so available to their impressionable minds? Something has to give. Our children deserve to be treated with respect by their peers. You’re probably thinking this has always gone on, don’t worry about it, they’ll be fine. My point is this:  it’s not okay. Suicide rates among elementary, yes, elementary age children, is increasing.

BULLYING STATISTICS

Every 7 MINUTES a child is bullied. Adult intervention – 4%. Peer intervention – 11%. No intervention – 85%.

Biracial and multiracial youth are more likely to be victimized than youth who identify with a single race.

Bullied students tend to grow up more socially anxious, with less self-esteem and require more mental health services throughout life.

Only 7% of U.S. parents are worried about cyberbullying; yet 33% of teenagers have been victims of cyberbullying

Kids who are obese, gay, or have disabilities are up to 63% more likely to be bullied than other children.

1 MILLION children were harassed, threatened or subjected to other forms of cyberbullying on FACEBOOK during the past year.

86% of students said, “other kids picking on them, making fun of them or bullying them” causes teenagers to turn to lethal violence in schools.

It is estimated that 160,000 children miss school every day due to fear of attack or intimidation by other students. Source: National Education Association.

American schools harbor approximately 2.1 million bullies and 2.7 million of their victims. Dan Olweus, National School Safety Center.

SUICIDE STATISTICS: 

Suicide remains among the leading causes of death of children under 14. In most cases, the young people die from hanging.

Suicide rates among 10 to 14-year-olds have grown more than 50 percent over the last three decades. (The American Association of Suicidology, AAS)

A new review of studies from 13 countries found signs of an apparent connection between bullying, being bullied, and suicide. (Yale School of Medicine)

Suicide rates among children between the ages of 10 & 14 are very low, but are “creeping up.” (Ann Haas, Director of the Suicide Prevention Project at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention)

The suicide rate among young male adults in Massachusetts rose 28 percent in 2007. However, that does not reflect deaths among teenagers and students Carl’s age. (Massachusetts Dept. of Public Health, in a report released April 8, 2009)

Since 2002, at least 15 schoolchildren ages 11 to 14 have committed suicide in Massachusetts. Three of them were Carl’s age. (“Constantly Bulled, He Ends His Life at Age 11,” by Milton J. Valencia. The Boston Globe, April 20, 2009)

Suicide rates among 10 to 14-year-olds have grown more than 50 percent over the last three decades. (The American Association of Suicidology, AAS)

In 2005 (the last year nationwide stats were available), 270 children in the 10-14 age group killed themselves. (AAS)

1 in 7 Students in Grades K-12 is either a bully or a victim of bullying.

56% of students have personally witnessed some type of bullying at school.

15% of all school absenteeism is directly related to fears of being bullied at school.

71% of students report incidents of bullying as a problem at their school.

1 out of 20 students has seen a student with a gun at school.

282,000 students are physically attacked in secondary schools each month.

Those in the lower grades reported being in twice as many fights as those in the higher grades. However, there is a lower rate of serious violent crimes in the elementary level than in the middle or high schools.

90% of 4th through 8th graders report being victims of bullying.

Among students, homicide perpetrators were more than twice as likely as homicide victims to have been bullied by peers.

Bullying statistics say revenge is the strongest motivation for school shootings.

87% of students said shootings are motivated by a desire to “get back at those who have hurt them.”

86% of students said, “other kids picking on them, making fun of them or bullying them” causes teenagers to turn to lethal violence in the schools.

61% of students said students shoot others because they have been victims of physical abuse at home.

54% of students said witnessing physical abuse at home can lead to violence in school.

According to bullying statistics, 1 out of every 10 students who drops out of school does so because of repeated bullying.

Harassment and bullying have been linked to 75% of school-shooting incidents.

“About 1 in 9 children have attempted suicide before their high school graduation, but learning that they’re making plans as early as elementary school is especially chilling.”  http://healthland.time.com/2011/11/30/study-40-of-kids-who-attempt-suicide-first-try-in-elementary-or-middle-school/

Teachers & Bullying:

 Teachers are also assaulted, robbed & bullied. 84 crimes per 1,000 teachers per year.References:Bureau of Justice Statistics – School Crime & Safety

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