· Definition of bulying

Bullying is any form of oppression or violence carried out intentionally by one person or group of people
who is stronger or more powerful towards another person, with the aim of hurting and is carried out
continuously.

According to Unicef, bullying can be identified through three characteristics, namely intentional (to hurt),
occurring repeatedly, and there is a difference in power. Bullying can occur in person or online.

Online bullying or what is usually called cyber bullying often occurs through social media, SMS/text or
instant messaging, email, or online platforms where children interact.

· News Bullying

Bullying:

A cancer that must be eradicated

A tragic end to an education that had barely begun - 13-year-old Kiki stopped schooling because her
classmates used to make fun of her relentlessly. They had accidentally discovered her humble
background, her father being a street vendor. In another case, 15 year old Dinda could not take it
anymore. She became depressed, left school and stayed at home because she was constantly teased by
her classmates for failing in junior high school.

And in yet another, more recent case, some senior students of a junior high school took seven junior
students, and subjected them to violent beatings. Sherry, one of the junior students, was rushed to
hospital with bruises on his abdomen. He is extremely scared to go to school. Julie, a 10 year old, fifth
grade student, states that her first two years of elementary school were a traumatic experience. She
sadly remembers being cruelly bullied by her male classmates because she was overweight. They used to
call her Sumatran elephant, baboon, gentong and many other names.

hese are few cases out of hundreds of similar cases and the number is increasing over

the time. In Indonesia bullying exists in every form, from teasing to extreme abuse.

Even though incidents of bullying are common, unfortunately it is not seen as a major
problem. A recent survey conducted by National Child Protection Commission has

shown that more than half of bullying incidents go unreported due to the fact that it is

considered normal in some parts of the society. Also the people who get bullied are

either unwilling to report it because they feel it will "make a big deal". Or worse, they

are so scared that they don't trust anyone and do not want to share their plight with

anyone. The issue of bullying has been a problem for years but recently it got limelight

from news media when few cases were reported.

Bullying affects the children both psychologically and physically. It is estimated that hundreds of children
miss school every day due to the fear of being mistreated by other students and in some extreme cases
they choose to home school, or in severe circumstances they stop studying altogether

Children should not be living in constant fear. They shouldn't be afraid. On the contrary, they should look
forward to every day of school and enjoy school life. According to a research bullying has always existed
in Indonesian society, but it has come to surface due to the recent proliferation of media technologies
(Craig, 2009). Since bullying is prevalent in our society it is important that everyone should be made
aware of this social evil. There should be campaigns to increase awareness. Everyone should be working
together, against it, to stop it. It is distressing to see our children being isolated from society because
they are treated badly. I am of opinion that no one has any right to harass or make people feel inferior.
No one should have that kind of power. These children are our future and we should make every
possible effort to stop bullying.

I would like to point out that bullying is everyone's problem and responsibility. If you

condone bullying in any way, shape or form it means you are taking part in it whether it
is directly or indirectly by being silent. Majority of people agree that we have to work

together towards eliminating this problem.

Some people may consider taunting someone as funny, even though it is anything but funny to the
person who is at the receiving end. Minor taunts can create a lot of pain and suffering. While it may
seem innocent but the cumulative effect could be highly damaging. In addition to that, as the pain
increases, each instance cuts a little deeper which eventually becomes a sore.

It is highly possible that bullying might happen in your school so it is the liability of every student to
protect their classmates and try to stop bullying. If it doesn't work then you should inform your teachers
or parents.

Not many of us think of stopping it. As long as it doesn't happen to us why should we get involved, why
should we bother? But the time has come for us to be actively involved in eradicating bullying
(Farrington, 1993).

So next time if you see someone getting bullied, would you try to stop it or let it happen?

Remember, bullying is everyone's problem; therefore everyone has to be the part of the

solution.

· Causes Of Bullying

Causes of Bullying

According to Ariesto (2009) quoted in the journal Factors that Influence Adolescents in Bullying at
Padjadjaran University, the factors that cause bullying include:

1. Family

Bullies often come from families with problematic parents who often punish their children excessively or
home situations full of stress, aggression and hostility. Children will learn bullying behavior when
observing conflicts that occur with their parents, and then imitate it to their friends.
If there are no firm consequences from the environment for his experimental behavior, he will learn that
those with power are allowed to behave aggressively, and that aggressive behavior can increase a
person's status and power. From here children develop bullying behavior.

2. School

Schools often ignore the existence of this bullying. As a result, children as perpetrators of bullying will
receive reinforcement for their behavior to intimidate other children.

Bullying is growing rapidly in the school environment, often providing negative feedback to students, for
example in the form of punishment that is not constructive so that it does not develop a sense of respect
and respect between fellow school members.

3. Peer Group Factor

When children interact at school and with friends around the house, they are sometimes encouraged to
carry out bullying. Some children bully in an attempt to prove that they can belong to a certain group,
even though they themselves feel uncomfortable with the behavior.

4. Social Environmental Conditions

Social environmental conditions can also be a cause of bullying behavior. One of the social environmental
factors that causes bullying is poverty.

Those who live in poverty will do anything to meet their living needs, so it is not surprising that bullying
often occurs among students in the school environment.

5. Television Shows and Print Media

Television and print media shape bullying behavior patterns in terms of the broadcasts they display. A
survey conducted by one of the mass media showed that 56.9% of children imitated the scenes of the
films they watched, generally they imitated the movements 64% and the words 43%.

· Impact Of Bullying

Impact of Bullying
According to Suyatno (2003), quoted in the book Islamic Psychology Intervention Model, Tazkiyatun Nafsi
Group Counseling: One Form of Effort in Handling Student Victims of Bullying, mentions several negative
impacts experienced by children who are victims of bullying, namely:

1. The impact of bullying on individual lives

a. Lack of motivation or self-esteem,

b. Mental health problems, for example excessive anxiety, problems eating, insomnia.

c. Serious illness and serious injuries to the point of permanent disability: broken bones, inflammation
due to infection, and black eyes, including headaches, stomach, muscle, etc. that last for years even if he
is no longer abused.

d. Sexual health problems, for example: experiencing damage to reproductive organs, unwanted
pregnancy, contracting sexually transmitted diseases.

e. Developing aggressive behavior (likes to attack) or becoming angry or even conversely becoming quiet
and withdrawing from social interactions.

f. Nightmares and fear, apart from loss of appetite, slower growth and learning, stomach aches, asthma
and headaches.

g. Death.

2. The impact of bullying on social life

a. Inheritance of the cycle of violence from generation to generation.

b. The mistaken belief persists that parents have the right to do anything to their children, including the
right to commit violence.

c. The quality of life for all members of society declines, because children who are abused do not take
their proper role in social life.

3. The impact of bullying on academic life

Bullying is associated with increased rates of depression, aggression, decreased academic grades, and
suicidality. Bullying also reduces students' intelligence test scores and analytical abilities.

· Solution Of Bullying
How to Overcome Bullying

According to Maryam B Gainau in the book Adolescent Development and its Problems, the following
ways to overcome bullying for teenagers include the following:

1. Schools need to create a safe, comfortable and healthy school culture so that children can interact
with their friends well. Schools also need to provide strict sanctions to children who bully so that
teenagers feel deterred and do not bully their friends again.

2. Teachers and parents need to teach children/adolescents to solve problems not by violence and taking
the law into their own hands but by using a collaborative deliberation approach to find the best solution.

3. Teachers need to instill good religious and moral values so that children can respect and respect each
other.

4. Teachers need to take a counseling approach to children who experience bullying so that teenagers do
not have prolonged trauma, feel inferior, and are afraid to socialize with other people.

5. Teachers and parents need to work together to handle bullying with good deliberation so they can find
the best solution.