Mockery, insults and violence. Children’s daily lives can become extremely traumatic at school.
Bullying affects both the victim and their family, with parents often left feeling powerless to control what happens in the classroom and playground.
With the development of new technologies and social media, bullying can now go beyond the school gates. Cyberbullying seeps into the lives of young people wherever they are and at any time, with victims often facing it alone.
What is considered harassment?
- When there is a relationship of power and domination between one or more pupils and one or more victims;
- If there is repetition: different forms of aggression are regularly repeated over a long period of time;
- When there is isolation/abandonment: the victim has become isolated and ostracised by the group. Or in other cases, the victim becomes withdrawn and is unable to find appropriate responses to cope.
The Soroptimists of Netanya, Israel, initiated this project to provide support to young victims of bullying and their parents.
Thanks to the President of SI Netanya, the Soroptimists found a place to organise those moments of sharing to enable this anti-violence project to go ahead. They also raised money to finance a large part of this project and were promoted by the Union of Israel and featured in the Union’s newsletter.
The project works to help alleviate the loneliness often felt by child victims of bullying, by bringing them together. Parents are also a crucial part of this education and awareness-raising project. They meet with the children, to open their hearts and communicate together so that their children can create new friendships. The parents play an instrumental role, by listening to what their children are going through and helping them put their emotions into words. It is important to do this because it is through communication that parents can develop a positive relationship with their children.
The exchange between the different generations (parents and children) is very important.
The SI members of Netanya are proud to have implemented this project at a time when this issue is more than topical and needs to be addressed with action. They look forward to providing continued support to children suffering from bullying throughout this year.
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