As Jean’s story illustrates, bullying among children can occur outside of school.
- This summer, the testimony of a child who was bullied at summer camp moved many French people.
- “The courage of young Jean, who spoke a few days ago about the ordeal he suffered at his summer camp, clearly shows that harassment between children goes far beyond the school setting,” says the Centre ReSIS association.
- There are several criteria that define bullying between children, whether it occurs at school or elsewhere.
Following the poignant testimony of little Jean who was bullied at summer camp by his classmates, the ReSIS Center association explains in a press release how to identify this phenomenon.
Several criteria define harassment
“The courage of young Jean, who spoke a few days ago about the ordeal he suffered at his summer camp, clearly shows that bullying between children goes far beyond the school setting,” first indicate the members of the non-profit organization.
According to them, several criteria define harassment between children, whether it occurs at school or elsewhere:
– the repetitive and sometimes long-lasting nature;
– the decisive role of the group and thus the disproportion of forces;
– the target’s inability to defend itself in this specific context.
Harassment: the keys to overcoming it
“This reality that young people know well and that they all fear can only be resolved by the united/determined front of adults, whether they are teachers, AEDs, management staff, sports coaches, facilitators or educators“, also estimates the ReSIS Center.
“The first solution is training. The more adults supervising young people are trained, the more they will be able to quickly put an end to the beginnings of harassment and the suffering of a young person.”we can also read in the document sent to the editorial offices.
“Given the number of children who go to summer camps or are sent to welcomed in extracurricular and extracurricular activities, it seems essential to us that the leaders of these structures benefit from specific training in the fight against harassment”, they conclude.
Harassment: what impact on children’s health?
After spending a week at a summer camp in Brittany, Jean came back with a swollen face and body. Horrified, his mother finally understood that he had been physically and mentally harassed during his vacation by three children. After posting her indignation on Facebook, Cécile Lemaire filed a complaint for “aggravated violence”.
“In addition to the physical effects of bullying, children who experience it may suffer from mental health or emotional problems, including depression or anxiety, which in turn may lead to drug use,” finished UNICEF.
