Will bullying ever end?

Bullying has been a problem for years and generations. The odds of it suddenly coming to an end is highly unlikely. Unfortunately, kids can be cruel, hurt people hurt people, and abuse is a vicious cycle. We all say we want to stop bullying, and we create all these anti-bullying laws to show we are putting forth the effort. However, bullying will never end because we struggle to acknowledge it is happening in our backyard. We do not get the bully and bully the help they need. We don’t hold all parties responsible for the role they played. 

BULLYING IS HAPPENING

Too many schools, administrators, teachers, and parents will not accept that bullying is happening in their academic institutions. The anti-bullying laws and programs have unintentionally given a false sense of protection against bullying in these institutions. These laws and programs only provided an outline and plan for what to do in a bullying situation and some tools to be proactive. However, bullying is still happening. Since we have been given the tools needed to handle it, we should be more vigilant in catching it, punishing it, and offering rehabilitation for all parties. We can’t fix something that we don’t admit exists. 

THERAPY & REHABILITATION

Bullying is a behavior that needs to have consequences. However, it can’t stop there. The person committing the bullying act is exhibiting these behaviors for a reason. There is something else going on for this person to feel that this behavior is warranted or allowed. The bully needs to sit down with a counselor to explore why they thought they needed to bully another person. The bullied party also needs time with a counselor to explore how they handle the trauma and why they did not reach out for help if that’s the case. If we can take the time to counsel and rehabilitate the individuals currently in prison, then let's counsel and rehabilitate current bullies, which could prevent them from going to prison in the future. 

 ALL PARTIES ACCOUNTABLE

There have been numerous cases where the person being bullied reported the trauma and was told to ignore it or stand up for themselves. The majority of those cases end up getting worse. Anyone and everyone who is aware of a bullying situation and does not take steps to end it should be held accountable and suffer the consequences. Bystanders to bullying are almost as bad as the actual bully, and they should be considered an accomplice to the trauma. The expectation should be that adults stop the bullying immediately once aware, and students get help immediately. Plus, any retaliation towards the upstander (bystander who intervenes) also has consequences, therapy, and rehabilitation. If everyone is held accountable for their role in bullying, more people will think twice about allowing it to continue. The only way to ever come close to ending bullying is for everyone to come together to stop it consistently.