When bullies rule schools

A recent study has shockingly revealed that Bahrain has the second highest school bullying rates for elementary stage students globally, stressing that 43 percent of students were bullying victims.

The study, conducted by Bahraini educationalist Dr. Mariam Al Qassab, showed that verbal bullying is the most common type of bullying at Bahrain’s schools. It also revealed that male students were more exposed to school bullying when compared to female pupils.

Dr. Al Qassab was a speaker at a local event that aimed to reduce school bullying incidents. Speaking to Tribune, she said, “Bullying is a negative behavior that is annoying and hurtful, deliberate and repeated, by one or more persons, and is directed against a person who finds difficulty to defend himself/herself.” “Bullying is divided into three types that include physical, verbal and social bullying. It consists of three parties, which are the bully, the victim, and the spectator.

“Globally, and according to 80 international studies, the average exposure of youth to traditional bullying is estimated to be around 35pc and 15pc are exposed to electronic bullying,” Dr. Al Qassab stated.

Dr. Al Qassab also said that according to a study conducted by Boston University, Bahrain comes second in terms of bullying cases reported among pupils studying in the first six academic years. She explained: “According to official statistics of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, 37.3pc of the Bahraini youth were victimized by cyberbullying, while 30pc practiced it.