Red Cross: Many dread the start of school

Student tech school bagStudent. Photo: pixabay.com

In the last few weeks before this year’s school more children than before have contacted The Red Cross organization “Cross my heart” anonymously because they are afraid of bullying.

During the summer offers of counseling resulted in Red Cross receiving over 2,000 inquiries about many topics, from both boys and girls. Around 50 of them have spoken of the fear of being beat up, bullied and subjected to false rumors when school starts. The average age is 13 years, 80 percent of those who call are bullied girls.

– It’s natural to be excited before a new school year, especially if you start at a new school. That being said fear of bullying is an issue we adults need to talk to kids about, says Nelli Kongshaug leader in Cross my heart, said.

Recent figures from Ungdata show that about 7 percent of Norwegian secondary school students are being bullied. The tendency is increasing for girls, while the figures for boys has remained stable in recent years. Kongshaug worries that those who are struggling, do not share the painful feelings with someone:

– Our figures are just the tip of the iceberg. Few people who are struggling with bullying dare to contact us. I am particularly worried about the boys. When they call us, they don’t talk so much about feelings, but we know that they have it easier than girls.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today