[Assignment- First Two Year Batch-MEd. 2015-17
- Govt. College of Teacher Education, Thiruvananthapuram]
Bullying linked to gender and sexuality often goes unchecked
in schools
(March 3, 2016)
By Victoria Rawlings
Lecturer in education, pedagogy and sexuality, University of
Sydney
Bullying that
relates to gender or sexuality is the most common form of violence that
students encounter in schools. Research from the US indicates that 80%
of students will experience some kind of gender-based bullying during their
primary and high school studies, regardless of their sexuality or gender
identity.
Bullying is aggressive behaviour that
is intentional and that involves an imbalance of power. Most often, it is
repeated over time. Bullying can take many forms: physical bullying (hitting or
punching), verbal bullying (name-calling, teasing), social or emotional
bullying (exclusion, hurtful gestures), or cyber-bullying (negative messages
via e-mail or text messaging).Gender and Sexual bullying is a serious issue
that needs to be tackled. Although there is no official definition, sexual
bullying is a behaviour, physical or non-physical, where sexuality or gender is
used as a weapon against another. Sexual bullying is any behaviour which
degrades someone, singles someone out by the use of sexual language, gestures
or violence, and victimizing someone for their appearance. Sexual bullying is
also pressure to act promiscuously and to act in a way that makes others
uncomfortable. These behaviours happen inside and outside school, in social
groups and online. It is as serious as any form of hate crime and should be
treated as such by parents, teachers and society in general. Research indicates
that 80% of students will experience some kind of gender-based bullying during
their primary and high school
studies, regardless of their sexuality or gender identity .Importantly, an emerging
body of research has demonstrated that teachers are often
not equipped to respond to moments of gender-based
violence. While aggression related to race and ethnicity is often responded to
firmly and with confidence by the teachers, Research have shown that teachers often fail to intervene
in these instances because they see them as inevitable or not serious. This is
additionally problematic as students often frame gender or sexuality-based
aggression as
joking or not
serious, they suggest that the victim violence, each of these attitudes fosters
a culture of non-reporting, further facilitating aggression
of this kind
. More over even teachers often failed
to recognize the homophobic languages which are harmful to students.
Suggestions
*It is
important that children and young people are educated on the issues of sexual
bullying from a young age. This education should come from the home just and
school. Talk to them about making positive choices and rising above what their
peers expect of them and being responsible.
*If
someone is being bullied sexually, they will need help to get it stopped.
Encourage them to seek help from someone they trust, such as a parent, family
member or a teacher. They can keep a diary of all incidents as evidence and
take screenshots if the bullying is online.
*No child or
adolescent deserves to be bullied. Do not tolerate any anti-homosexual slurs.
*Work with student
government and other school clubs to hold programs on respect, school safety,
and anti-bullying.
*Be alert to signs of
youth who may be in distress.
*Provide confidential
help-consult with a school counselor or other mental health professional if you
feel uncertain about how best to support a student.
*Support training and
education for staff about these issues
References
*theconversation.com/bullying-linked-to-gender-and-sexuality-often-goes-unchecked-in-schools-55639
*www.violencepreventionworks.org/.../bullying_sexual_orientation.page
*www.bullying.co.uk/general-advice/what-is-sexual-bullying
Submitted by Ms. Biji SP.
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