It is prohibited by law…bullying children
Bullying is generally an immoral act, and many people do not realize its impact on those who are subjected to it, but it is what most affects children’s mental health, hinders their ability to integrate, and hinders the process of establishing healthy relationships and close friendships with others, and sometimes disrupts their ability to interact with their communities. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), bullying is a recurring pattern of behavior, not an isolated incident, and children who bully usually start from their perception that they are in a higher social status or position of power, such as children who are larger in size, or more physically strong, or who are perceived as popular among their peers.
In the same context, all global studies have proven that children are the age group most vulnerable to bullying, as about 43% of children use the Internet to intimidate and harass in all its forms on a permanent basis, in addition to the fact that 20% of children have had their lives negatively affected, especially their desire to go to school and attend education, which makes combating bullying in all its forms a priority for all community institutions, through awareness programs, workshops and seminars that have become an urgent need to protect children and ensure their right to live a healthy life in which they enjoy safety, and feel a sense of belonging to a society capable of embracing them and protecting them from dangers. Bullying can leave harmful and long-term effects on them, as in addition to the physical effects, children can be exposed to emotional and mental problems, including depression and anxiety, which lead to greater psychological problems.
In the spirit of social responsibility, and at the beginning of this academic year, the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood in the UAE launched an awareness film on the ways and importance of preventing bullying, in order to spread positivity in the school environment, and keep pace with the UAE’s commitment to supporting children’s rights stipulated in the “Wadeema” Law issued in 2016, which was accompanied at the time by the bullying prevention programme in schools, which the Council also launched under the directives of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation “Mother of the Emirates”.
Emphasizing the importance of addressing the issue of bullying, media institutions in the UAE participated in this awareness campaign by sharing the film on their social media platforms, as part of the efforts they are making in this field.
Talking about children and raising awareness about their rights is an ongoing matter in the UAE, and on every occasion, the relevant institutions launch several campaigns in this regard. This is what the Family Development Foundation did last March on the occasion of Emirati Children’s Day, which came under the slogan “The Child’s Right to Protection.”
During the campaign, the Foundation was keen to empower and educate children and provide them with social skills by developing their linguistic and cognitive skills to enhance their active participation in society, and to ensure that they acquire knowledge in the field of personal protection in a manner that is consistent with their developmental characteristics to raise a strong generation capable of building itself and its society.
Paying attention to this issue is an inevitable matter because it is consistent with the necessity of building a psychologically healthy person to invest in him as the most valuable wealth, and the bet on him is great for the future of all humanity. Also, dealing with finding solutions to eliminate bullying – especially among adolescent children – is not a luxury, but rather an urgent need after it became a global phenomenon whose rate has increased significantly in recent years as a result of many factors, especially with the expansion of the virtual world and the ease of access of children and youth to social networking sites.
#prohibited #law…bullying #children