Bullying
Bill 14, Anti-Bullying Act, 2012
Lisa MacLeod, Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Preamble
Bullying, particularly in schools, has become an increasing problem in Canada. Victims of bullying have suffered mental anguish, bodily injury and even death at the hands of their tormentors.
Bullying can leave a harmful and long-lasting mark on its victims. It can leave children with painful emotional and mental scarring and a lifelong struggle with self-esteem. Bullying can therefore impair the ability of a victim to contribute meaningfully to society and to function normally in the victim’s family environment.
Bullies suffer as well, since bullying may be indicative of deeper psychological and emotional problems… Read entire text here.
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Bullying Prevention: Nature and Extent of Bullying in Canada
Bullying is characterized by acts of intentional harm, repeated over-time, in a relationship where an imbalance of power exists. It includes physical actions (punching, kicking, biting), verbal actions (threats, name calling, insults, racial or sexual comments), and social exclusion1 (spreading rumours, ignoring, gossiping, excluding) (Pepler & Craig, 2000; Ma, Stewin & Mah, 2001). Boys tend to be more likely to bully and be bullied, usually in the form of a physical attack and exhibition of aggressive behaviour. Alternatively, girls appear to be more prone to indirect bullying in the form of social isolation, slandering and the spreading of rumours (Marcel T. Van der Wal, et al., 2003)… Read entire text here.
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Are Bullying and Victimization on the Rise in Canada?
The statistics below are taken from the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) study, a cross-national research study conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe. The study was funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada and presented at the Canadian Public Health Association Conference, June, 2012. The survey was conducted in 2010, and 26,078 young Canadians from 436 schools participated… Visit the site here.