BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - BULLYING is defined as the use of any force, threat, or coercion to abuse, intimidate, or aggressively impose domination over others. This behavior is often repeated and habitual. But what do Kittitians say about this growing trend?
As always, this publication interviewed a number of individuals on this issue and while they spoke on condition of anonymity, they agreed to be identified by their occupations. Their responses were as followed.
Question: As a parent or a student, how do you view bullying in schools and what do you think can be done to reduce the rising cases of this new trend?
High School Student: “It happens in every school and just the other day I saw a guy got bang up by a couple of other boys because of some issue they had. I think the bullies in the schools are no longer afraid of consequences so they come out more. I think to stop this we might have to start having more security in the schools”.
Teacher: “I am a teacher and a mother too and sometimes even me, as an educator, I am most times afraid of what is going on. Children nowadays don’t have minds of their own so they follow whatever the feel is seemingly cool.
“I think what will start happening soon is that police and army officers will have to start coming to the schools and make checks”.
Entrepreneur: “Bullying? That’s a good question, I got a daughter going to school and one day she came home with her face black and blue and she was so scared to say who attacked her because apparently who ever did it threatened her.”
“I went to the school the next day and I inquired about it and the Principal told me it was never reported to her. You see these people who doing these acts are intimidating their victims and they can never be found because everybody is afraid to talk.”
“What gon start happen is that the school dey gon be a war zone. Police and soldiers gon be walking every corridor looking for them.”
Mechanic: “I does ask myself when all these things start happening in St. Kitts. In my days if you had a lil’ problem with somebody you use to go to the teacher or take matters in your own hands in the name of respect but we were all young.
“Nowadays, you hearing gangs against gangs in the different schools and even the schools fighting against one another. If somebody too bright they ah bang you, if they don’t like you they bang you. I mean come on! Where did we go wrong?”
High School Student: “The bullying to me occurs with the gangs in the schools. These gangs operate like animals in the wild; they prey on the weaker species. People get gang banged for the weirdest reasons like, if you too smart, if you look at them too strong, if they want something you have and you don’t want to give them.”
Social worker: “To me this is getting out of hand. Just couple of years ago we had a few cases of it but it’s all over the schools now. Bullying is becoming a new style for students and they are finding different ways to do it.
“They only way to stop this epidemic is to put strict or long term penalties to whoever commits these hideous acts.”
If you agree or disagree with the views above, leave a comment below and tell us what you think about bullying in schools.
