Teasing and Bullying

 

Introduction

The socio-cultural issues of teasing and bullying present serious threats to the children. The effects of these vices are dire and range from physical to mental health issues. Such effects are not only short term but can proceed to affect the victims during their adult life. Furthermore, these issues cut across borders and are present in every culture across the globe. This paper aims to describe teasing and bullying from the perspective of the culture in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and contrast these issues in the context of the USA and India. Although the problems of teasing and bullying children in school are age-old, they continue to persist in various forms in schools even today. This is a source of concern to parents, educators, policymakers, and every right-thinking person in society. It is, therefore, important to address the causes and effects of teasing and bullying and consider how best to stop these practices, which affect not only the individual but also society.

Description of the Issue

Bullying and teasing are closely related. The difference arises in that teasing involves behavior that may be friendly and socially positive at times. Bullying, on the other hand, involves actions motivated by harmful intent. However, we must also consider the hurtful and hostile teasing such as hurling insults, which qualifies as a form of bullying. Bullying, on the other hand, encompasses intentional acts committed with the purpose of harming, coercing, or intimidating others. Such acts are carried out by individuals or groups repeatedly against a vulnerable victim (Menesini & Salmivalli, 2017). Many children undergo teasing and bullying worldwide. According to the United Nations, one in three children undergoes some form of bullying globally (UN News, 2018). In the school context, peer bullying is the most common form of violence that children face. The practice is not only limited to schools but also occurs in the streets and even at home among siblings.

Teasing and bullying can affect a child’s development in various ways. Constant harassment can cause victims stress and anxiety; such children also exhibit increased feelings of sadness and loneliness, which could, eventually, push them into depression. Common signs related to such cases include loss of interest in activities that victims once enjoyed and changes in sleeping and eating patterns. Also, bullied children tend to experience decreased academic performance. In some cases, victims may react violently and, on rare occasions, even commit suicide (Cain, 2017). Hurley (2018) informs us that the bullies are not excluded from negative effects either. In the long term, they tend to abuse drugs and alcohol and constantly get into fights. Additionally, they are likely to be abusive towards their partners as well as face criminal convictions.

Comparison between Countries

Teasing and Bullying In the UAE

Like many countries, the issue of teasing and bullying is common among children in the UAE. According to a report by Alomosh, Alrahoomi, Alshamsi, & Alani (2019), a third of the students are involved in bullying. The bullies account for 14.2% while the victims are 19.1% of the number. The most common forms of bullying include insults and offensive name-calling as well as cyberbullying. Other forms of bullying include being pushed and shoved leading to stumbling and falling, being beaten, and getting threatened. Also, some students report getting robbed while others are subjected to being excluded or ignored (Alomosh et al., 2019). These incidents take place in different places within the schools. Close to half of the bullying occurs in corridors. Other common sites include the classrooms, cafeteria, car or bus ride, and playgrounds. Bullying victims are mostly targeted for their younger age, size, physical appearance, and social and financial status. The study also concluded that 40.7% of students in the UAE believed that school authorities were aware of the bullying that takes place and stricter administration and policies would stop this phenomenon in school.

Comparison between UAE and USA

Teasing and bullying practices in the USA and the UAE have some similarities as well as differences. For instance, the incidence of bullying seems to be lower in the USA. According to a report by the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance (2017), 19% of the students are bullied on school property compared to 33.3% in the UAE, as indicated by Alomosh et al. (2019). Cyberbullying accounts for most of the bullying in the USA with 14.9% of the cases involving bullying through texting, Facebook, Instagram, or other social media. This figure is close to that in the UAE since 14.4% of the student in the Middle Eastern country also experience cyber/online bullying (Alomosh et al., 2019). Bullying victims are targeted for different reasons in the USA compared to the UAE. In the UAE, children who are younger, smaller, and from families with low financial status are most vulnerable. In the USA, however, teasing and bullying commonly occur based on race and sexual identity (Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance, 2017)

Comparison between UAE and India

In India, teasing and bullying are also as common as in the UAE. Cornell & Shukla (2018) report that bullying occurs at a higher rate in India than in other nations. However, obtaining the right figures for the issue in India is challenging. This is due to the large population which exceeds a billion as well as many different cultures which make generalization doubtful. Nonetheless, different studies have been dedicated to bullying and teasing in India. One of the studies in the state of Haryana shows that the prevalence of this vice is at 43% (Sethi, Setiya, & Kumar, 2019). This is a higher figure than that reported in the UAE, of 33.3%, by Alomosh et al. (2019). A different study in the state of Gujarat reported bullying prevalence at 49%, which is also a much higher figure (Patel, Varma, Shah, Phatak, & Nimbalkar, 2017). Unlike the UAE, the caste system in India also contributes to bullying (Cornel & Shukla, 2018). This is a social structure that categorizes Indians into social classes. Children from lower castes are likely to be harassed.

Recommendations

Given that teasing and bullying are serious threats to the children, it is necessary to come up with ways of reducing such cases. Alomosh et al. (2019) propose several measures including having a strong and strict school administration, continuous parental supervision, and encouraging the reporting of bullying cases. Menesini & Salmiyalli (2017), advocate for several interventions. These include encouraging bystanders and witnesses to intervene during bullying incidences. Also, wholesome school policies against bullying are recommended. Finally, the UN encourages countries and institutions to adopt laws that define bullying and push schools to implement solid steps against bullying such as having helplines (UN News, 2018).

Conclusion

            Teasing and bullying among children in the cultures of the UAE, USA, and India, show some similarities as well as differences. There are some similar forms of bullying and teasing such as the use of offensive words, hurling insults, pushing and shoving, and cyberbullying. However, bullying in the USA is also based on sexual identity and race. In India, bullying incidences are commonly encouraged by the caste system in the country. Despite the different cultures, the effects of teasing and bullying on children’s development are similar across countries.

References

Alomosh, A. F., Alrahoomi, S. M., Alshamsi, M. M. H., & Alani, O. D. S. (2019). Bullying Among School Students in the UAE Society. Psychology, 9(2), 45-56.

Cain, K. M. (Apr. 2017). The Effects of Bullying Type and Special Education Status on the Evaluation and Referral of Students to Mental Health Counseling. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10342/6206

Cornell, D., & Shukla, K. (2018). 16 Bullying and School Climate in the United States and India. Bullying, Cyberbullying and Student Well-Being in Schools: Comparing European, Australian and Indian Perspectives.

Harwood, D., Bosacki, S., & Borcsok, K. (2017). An investigation of young children’s perceptions of teasing within peer relationships. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 2(2), 237-260.

Hurley, K. (26 Sep. 2018). Short Term and Long Term Effects of Bullying. Psycom. Retrieved from https://www.psycom.net/effects-of-bullying

Menesini, E., & Salmivalli, C. (2017). Bullying in schools: the state of knowledge and effective interventions. Psychology, health & medicine, 22(sup1), 240-253.

Sethi, S., Setiya, R., & Kumar, A. (2019). Prevalence of school bullying among school children in urban Rohtak, State Haryana, India. Journal of Indian Association for Child & Adolescent Mental Health, 15(4).

UN News. (8 Oct. 2018). Bullying: Protection for children is a ‘fundamental human right’ says top UN advocate. Retrieved from https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/10/1022562

Patel, H. A., Varma, J., Shah, S., Phatak, A., & Nimbalkar, S. M. (2017). Profile of bullies and victims among urban school-going adolescents in Gujarat. Indian pediatrics, 54(10), 841-843.

Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance. (2017). Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance – United States, 2017. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 67(8). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/pdf/2017/ss6708.pdf