Recently, I watched a documentary on the social problem of bullying in Japanese schools, a major problem which can also spread through to the workplace for adults in some cases. Bullying or ijime in Japanese schools is an entrenched problem. A survey across Japan found that the number of bullying cases rose to 543,933 in the 2018 academic year. Of course, this is nothing new to the world as many countries face similar circumstances.

A lot of people, especially children will be too frightened or ashamed to talk about this issue. Especially, If there is no prospect of a solution, there is little incentive to report it to a teacher or parent.

Some positive action can be taken however. Bystanders, who see this happening can help by verbally opposing the bully’s actions. A bully will just feed off an audience if they think that gives them more attention. The victim can choose to ignore or stand up for themselves and verbally opposing the bully too. (Of course, without physical confrontation). This can then be followed by reporting it to a teacher or parent so they can resolve the issue before it escalates. The victim might try an activity to help boost their confidence when this is happening, such as joining a sports team, club activity, learning a musical instrument or taking up a martial art.

Children need our support. Parents can make it a habit to talk with their child about their day and things that have happened at school so that they can feel comfortable coming to them if they have a problem. To prevent raising a bully, parents can help their child experience compassion and caring for others from an early age.

If you suspect your child is being bullied but not saying so, ask them how they are spending school recess periods and with who, and ask how their good friends are doing lately. Signs of bullying include silence, reluctance to attend school, end of contact with good friends, less talk about school and friends, as well as stealing money from home, unexplained bruises, damaged school supplies and excessive concern about emails and phone calls.

If your child encounters bullying, listen carefully to what she or he says and how they want to approach the problem. Talking with their teacher and making sure that the principal is also aware of the issue can help. Sometimes bullies stop as soon as a teacher finds out because they're afraid that they will be punished by parents. Parents will need to work closely with the school to overcome the problem.

Thanks for reading,

Tony