August 9, 2019
Misaki Nishi
Have you ever witnessed or been bullied by your classmates, friends, or yourself being bullied? Currently, there is a lot of bullying among young people in Japan. This is about bullying cases and the current situation, and prevention of bullying.
What is bullying? Since when has this word existed? Bullying means that a person who is bullied feels mental pain against psychological and physical attacks. Bulling includes speaking ill of the victim behind his/her back, threatening the victim by words, sticking or kicking, and sending mal-messages through PCs or smartphones. Bullying has existed for a long time, but it has become more insidious and persisting since 1895. Also, it came to be done inside of a group.
About Modern Bullying
Modern bullying is often delayed in discovery due to teachers and parents not noticing because it is done where no one can see and people turn a blind eye from the fear that they will become targeted. In recent years, bullying on the internet has increased due to the spread of the internet and Social Networking Services (SNS). The vulnerable tends to be more seriousness for short period than other bullying because receive abuse by many and unspecified persons. Also, anyone can easily become a bully because everyone can easily write abuse words by anonymity. In addition, suicide by bullying tends to increase year by year and this is a big social issue in Japan.
First of all, these are bullying cases that actually happened in Japan.
<Case1>
The case of bullying suicide in Ohtu-shi (October, 2011)
A boy in his second year of junior high school went to school in Ohtu and jumped down from his apartment and committed suicide. He was assaulted with his limbs tied and his mouth closed, and he was pushed into homes and had his wallet and precious metals stolen. The perpetrator didn’t reflect on his death, and the board of education tried to suppress bullying. There became a very big problem. This was the reason why “The Measures to Prevent Bullying.”
<Case2>
The case of spreading video about assaulting in Nigata
Perpetrators delivered a live video where two boys were kicked and punched by classmates on SNS. This video also recorded abusive language and it was spread on the internet and the perpetrators were blasted.
Case1 was tried at the bar and the perpetrator should give an indemnity.
In Japan, there are a lot of suicides that are caused by bullying. Figure1 shows the number of recognized bullying from 2013 to 2017. The number of recognized bullying is the highest in primary schools, more than doubled in five years. It seems that it hasn't changed much in junior high school and high school but if you look closely, it is increasing little by little. This statistic only reflects the number of recognized bullying, so there will be more.
Efforts To Eliminate It
So, is there an effort to eliminate bullying? The number of recognized bullying is increasing year by year but you may be wondering if there are measures to prevent bullying. National efforts have been made by establishing a consultation service for bullied students and drawing up edification videos and brochures to prevent bullying. And, it holds a summit to train up readers who can face up to the reality of bullying. Also, there are several efforts in schools. In the board of education in Saitama, it conducts questionnaire about school life for student once a month and connects discovery and correspondence early in elementary school. It is done in class and talks about rules and manners when students use the internet to prevent bullying in the internet.
What Really Matters to Us
Based on what you have seen so far, you can see that there is no reason to bully whatever reason you have and if you see someone getting bullied, you should reach out without turning a blind eye. This is not so easy. Some people may think it would be impossible. But if one person takes action, other people may take action. This chain should solve many bullying cases.
In conclusion, it is important to change not only the parties but also the surrounding environment. If you witness bullying, you will be asked to speak. Also, not only students but also teachers and parents need to learn about bullying. If you have the right knowledge about bullying, you can connect discovery and correspondence early. When these are realized, students can have a more fulfilling school life.
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