BULLYING IN SCHOOLS: DOES EMPATHY HELP

Abstract

Bullying is a universal problem, affecting students in schools all around the world. It makes life miserable for those who are bullied, and some victims have been so upset that they committed suicide. Bullying is an act of intentional harm, carried out repeatedly. It can take the form of physical, verbal, social or emotional and cyber bullying. The bullies are aggressive in nature and the emotion they harbor is anger. Their home environment is one of conflict, and lack of warmth. The victims of bullies are sensitive and lack social and problem-solving skills and easily fall prey to the bully. They are anxious, depressive and lonely. As a result of bullying, their school attendance falls, and academic results are low. To tackle the bullying problem in schools, many programs have been introduced which have reported to increase empathy in students, and consequently, reducing bullying. This article emphasizes the importance of bullying prevention programs in schools with empathy as a core component, because it is impossible to eradicate bullying by enforcing policies and rules only. The solution of bullying is to develop empathy which will help students to appreciate differences, and to develop a sense of community in students. Keywords: Intervention Program, Reducing Bullying, Schoolchildren and Empathy