| | The symposium was held November 15, 2002 at the Grandover Resort and Hotel in Greensboro, N.C. The speaker was SuEllen Fried. In 1976, SuEllen Fried founded the pilot chapter of the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse (NCPCA) in Kansas and has served as president of the NCPCA. She is also the founder of the STOP Violence Coalition in Kansas City. SuEllen Fried and her daughter, Paula Fried,(coauthors of Bullies and Victims; Helping Your Child Through The Schoolyard Battlefield)  have developed a training manual to teach skills that can stop the cycle of abuse created by bullying. Their methods instruct us on ways to create an atmosphere of kindness.
Background Information: In their landmark study "Overcoming Bullying Behavior," Ellen Clore, R.N., and Judith Hibel, R.N., describe bullying as "one or more individuals inflicting physical, verbal, or emotional abuse on another." The consequences of bullying behavior extend beyond the playground into the workplace negatively impacting productivity, into the family causing dysfunction, and into society creating such phenomena as road rage, incivility and lack of compassion for others. Just looking at the horrific results of bullying when used as a socioeconomic and political tool that resulted in the mistreatment of native peoples, ethnic cleansing, the use of slave labor, and religious conflicts, one would ask...
CAN ANYTHING BE DONE?
YES! In the 1980's after determining that bullying was a considerable problem, Norway undertook a nationwide campaign to combat the situation. The frequency of bullying problems in their schools decreased by 50 percent in just 2 years. In addition, antisocial behavior in general, such as theft, vandalism, and truancy, showed a marked drop. Student satisfaction with school increased!
Bullying in school age children and youth: - An estimated 525,000 "attacks, shakedowns, and robberies" occur in an average month in public secondary schools.
- 160,000 American children miss school every day, due to fear of intimidation or attack.
- 76.8 percent of students in a Mid-Western study say they have been bullied.
- The pain of the victim often develops into rage, erupting outwardly as violence or inwardly as suicide.
- 1 out of every 4 bullies develops a criminal record by age 30.
- Male bullies are more likely to abuse their wives.
- Female bullies are more likely to abuse their children.
- Female violence is increasing at a faster rate than male violence.
- Bullying behavior is a warning sign - a time bomb.
Links On Bullying: Following these links will open a new browser window. Please note; The NCMSA does not endorse the sites behind these links. We offer them for your additional research. We are not responsible for the content of web sites outside of our own. The North Carolina Medical Society Alliance is a statewide nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to improving the health and quality of life for North Carolina. |
