Boys can be bullied in silence

Young boy being bullied.Photo: Sara Johannessen / SCANPIX

Up to 70 percent of boys who are bullied in school, fail to report it. This shows a survey done by Uni Research in Norwegian secondary schools.

Altogether about 15,000 secondary school students were interviewed in the new survey.

‘Bully expert’ André Baraldsnes is one of those who conducted the survey, and he believes it is the fear that things will get worse which is at play. In the survey, many of the boys said that they do not think they would be getting the help they need if they notify someone about the bullying.

– Besides, we have the phenomenon that bullying is often associated with a feeling that there is something wrong with oneself, says Baraldsnes to NRK news.

Many of the boys said that they were afraid that their bullies would  retaliate if they speak up.

– If the bully is big and strong, it could well be that they fail to notify anyone because they are afraid of being hurt, he said.

Baraldsnes has this answer on how to get more people to report  bullying:

– A long-term system  with a distinct attitude amongst the adults, which will eventually move over to the kids, is what is needed he says.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today
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