Crimes - Bullying

What is bullying?
Getting help
Did you know?

What is bullying?

Bullying is when someone is mean to you or hurts you on purpose. Here are some examples of bullying. It can be:

physical (like being hit, kicked or pushed, or having things taken)
verbal (for example being called names, picked on, or having rumours spread about you)
silent (for example being ignored or left out)
cyber (using phone calls, text messages, emails or the internet).

Bullying is still bullying even if it's:

behind your back
not physical
only done by one person.

If you are aged 11 - 16, the crimes most likely to affect you are:

being threatened (which will affect around one in four young people)
being bullied (also affecting around one in four of you)
having something other than a mobile phone stolen from them (which will happen to around one in every six or seven young people)
having something which belongs to them destroyed or damaged on purpose (affecting over one in ten young people)
being physically attached (likely to happen to around one in ten of you).

(MORI youth survey, 2004)

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Getting help

Nobody deserves to be bullied and you do not have to put up with it. It's really important to talk to someone if it is happening to you. Tell someone you trust - whether it's a teacher, family member or friend. Victim Support can also give you emotional support and help to deal with it.

There are lots of websites out there with useful information and advice on bullying and how to cope with it. Try these for starters:

NSPCC advice on bullying

Kidscape who gets bullied?

Childline tips on bullying

Bullying online help for pupils

Need2know how to stop bullying

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Did you know?

Bullying isn't just wrong - it can be against the law too. Certain types of bullying are actually crimes. Here are some examples of crimes: do any of them sound like bullying you know about?

Actual bodily harm	Attacking someone to cause them a visible but minor injury
Blackmail	Trying to get money by intimidating someone
Common assault	Attacking someone to cause a minor injury, or threatening to attack someone
Criminal damage	Deliberately destroying or damaging something either on purpose or through reckless behaviour
Grievous bodily harm	Deliberately attacking someone to seriously injure them
Harassment	Threatening or insulting someone a lot so that they become scared or upset
Possession of a weapon	Carrying around something that could cause an injury to someone
Robbery	Using or threatening violence to steal something from another person
Theft	Stealing something from someone without them knowing

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