SIDELINE - HARD TALK - BULLYING

When it comes to bullying, my own children have been victims not only of bullying, but also of vicious slander. However, because they have parents who are both vigilant and knowledgeable about rules and the law, immediate action was taken without compromise. We never brushed such matters under the carpet, not even when the signs of bullying whether cyber, physical, or verbal emerged during their university years.

All too often, high-achieving children/students become the prime targets of envy. One of my own children was once maliciously slandered by another so-called “high-achieving” student.

Let me be absolutely clear - one of the most dangerous red flags of a bully is when your child is falsely accused of “stealing” whether through mere hearsay or by planting so-called “stolen items” in your child’s school bag. This is not childish mischief; this is a calculated, destructive act.

History has shown that this very tactic has driven many innocent and unfortunate students in secondary schools and universities into despair some to the point of being murdered or driven to commit suicide by such cruelty.

False accusations of stealing are a classic modus operandi designed to divert attention from the bully. What enrages me most is when certain teachers or other parties (not all, but enough to cause concern) chose to exploit such situations, hiding behind the absurd excuse that “a top student would never bully.” That is nothing but sheer human weakness and a blatant denial of truth.

This is precisely why counseling must never be used as a convenient tool to conceal cases of bullying. I strongly insist that both schools and workplaces must have qualified, certified counselors not merely educators who have undergone basic pedagogical modules and are then conveniently labeled as “counselors.” That is wholly inadequate and irresponsible.