In 2017, 1.5 million young people in the United Kingdom were victims of bullying, with over half of these young people too worried to seek help.

Bullying is defined by the Anti-Bullying Alliance as “the repetitive, intentional hurting of one person or group by another person or group, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power. It can happen face to face or online.”

Speaking as part of the Milton Keynes Council’s See Sense, Stop Bullying campaign, one young person describes how she was affected by bullying at school because of her religion: “It started during one lunchtime when I accidently walked into a girl and before I had the chance to apologise she uttered, “Watch where you’re going you creep!” Her friends all laughed at her remark.

Later on that day when in the toilet I saw one of the girls and acted as if I hadn’t. I was relieved when she said nothing, but this wasn’t to last. After she had finished washing her hands and saw that I was using the hand dryer she reached for my scarf with a harsh pull and wiped her wet hands. “Stop it! Just stop it!” I begged pulling away, “Please”. 

Bullying  belittles a person to the extent where they come to believe that their worth is simply nothing. It becomes a life where the bullies are the boss of you, where the rights you’re entitled to as a human being are taken away, torn away like you’re a nobody. Truthfully, because of the conviction of all they say, bit by bit and unknowingly–you believe them, which shouldn’t happen.”

According to Ditch The Label, a leading anti-bullying charity, race and religion are linked to rates of bullying, and young people who identify as LGBT or those with a physical or learning disability as the most likely to be targeted for bullying.

As well as physical, face-to-face bullying, cyberbullying continues to pose a huge issue for young people online, with 10% of all young people surveyed saying they experienced online harassment “often” and 7% “constantly.”

“Cyberbullying continues to be one of the biggest challenges facing young people online,” says Ditch The Label in their 2017 report into bullying rates in the UK. “The majority of young people have at some point done something that could be considered as abusive online behaviour. Not only is the internet redefining the climate of bullying, but it is having clear impacts upon the identity, behaviours and personality of its young users.

Young people feel that social networks are not currently doing enough about online bullying, with many feeling unsafe online.”

For help and advice on bullying, visit Ditch the Label.