Bullying costs lives and it is becoming more and more aggressive

A month ago, two 12 years old twins decided to fall from a third floor in a Catalan town in Spain.

One of the sisters died, while the other is still in the hospital. They left a written record of the reasons why they had decided to take their own lives and all the investigations point to the fact that the cause was the bullying they suffered at school. Since then, the Mossos continue investigating what happened and the director of the institute to which they belonged has resigned.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the NGO Bullying Without Borders, bullying "is any form of physical, psychological or sexual intimidation or aggression against a person of school age repeatedly in such a way as to cause harm, fear and distress to the victim or a group of victims".

The latest data provided by the World Health Organization and the NGO, show that bullying claims around 200,000 suicides of young people between 14 and 28 years of age every year. In Europe, up to 24 million children and young people are victims of bullying and mistreatment every year.

Bullying has grown in most primary and secondary schools with "more virulent, intense and aggressive mistreatment", as detailed by the Spanish Association for the Prevention of School Bullying. Moreover, bullying has very significant effects on the self-esteem and well-being of adolescents, affecting their identity at such an important stage of life.

It should be noted that these behaviors do not only occur in the school context, since "boys and girls who have social networks are more at risk of suffering bullying or being aggressors, ways where parents do not reach, since most of them are unaware of their children's activities on the Internet. Around 40% of young people suffer cyberbullying in Spain".

Adolescents with difficulties in socializing and who are suffering bullying see their identity construction affected. "When one does not fit into groups, is humiliated by peers, the perception of oneself is distorted. This isolation accompanied by verbal and physical violence can destroy the self-esteem of minors who suffer it, who even come to think that their existence does not matter."

It is precisely this suffering, exacerbated by the emotional intensity that is characteristic of adolescence and the feeling of being misunderstood by authority figures, which can lead to self-injurious behavior.

"There are factors such as violence or the psychological health of adolescents that have an impact in relation to suicidal behavior." Psychologists Without Borders and other entities working with emergency helplines saw increased demand in recent years.

Source: Consalud.es | 25-03-2023