Bullying and harassment
Bullying
Rochdale Council believes that bullying describes a situation in
which one or more persons persistently target(s) another in a way
that causes distress to that other person. It is not the action
itself which defines a situation as bullying as much as the effect
it has on the victim and it is this effect that should be the cause
for concern and intervention.
There are many definitions of bullying but most consider it to
be:
- Deliberately hurtful and/or repeated often over a period of
time
- Difficult for victims to defend themselves against.
Bullying can take many forms but three main types are:
- Physical - hitting, kicking, taking belongings
- Verbal - name calling, insulting, making offensive remarks
- Indirect -
- Spreading nasty stories
- Exclusion from social groups
- Being made the subject of malicious rumours
- Sending malicious emails or text messages
Name calling is the most common direct form. This may be because
of individual characteristics but pupils can be called nasty names
because of their ethnic origin, nationality or colour, sexual
orientation, or some form of disability.
Identification
Identifying bullying is not easy and the following messages
should be considered when determining whether a situation is a
bullying one:
- Those being bullied are not in a position to stop the
process;
- It is not usually as noticeable or obvious to others;
- It is the effect that is the key determining factor, not the
action;
- It is a persistent situation, not isolated incidents;
- It has the intent to hurt or upset the victim;
- It is not limited to physical hurt - it can be social or
psychological.
Definitions should only be a guide, not a limit to what is and
isn’t bullying. If a someone feels bullied, it should be treated as
such by those it is disclosed to until fully investigated.
Acceptable and unacceptable behaviour
The detrimental effect of a bullying situation can be brought on
by incidents that may, for others, be considered unimportant or not
serious enough to warrant intervention. It should be remembered,
however, that it is the effect that is the cause for concern, and
not just the actions. Incidents of bullying behaviour could
include:
- Teasing, Name Calling or Insults
- Exclusion or Isolation
- Extortion or Theft
- Threats of Aggression / Threatening Looks
- Physical Assaults
- Indirect Insults to Family Members
- Gossiping or Sending Nasty Notes (or text messages, emails,
photos etc)*
*Please note that new technology brings new opportunities for
bullying.
The severity or seriousness of a bullying situation cannot be
determined in terms of actions or frequency. Whilst policy and
guidelines play an important role in addressing bullying, cases
should be treated individually and dealt with depending on the
effect and circumstances surrounding them.
Actions can be changed, but feelings are a personal issue. Those
investigating bullying disclosures should avoid judging the effect
of a situation by their own feelings and take into account the
feelings of the victim.
Harassment
Harassment is any form of unwanted and unwelcome behaviour which
may range from mildly unpleasant remarks to physical violence.
Harassment is termed sexual harassment if the
unwanted behaviours are linked to your gender or sexual
orientation. The EU definition of sexual harassment is "unwanted
conduct of a sexual nature or other conduct based on sex affecting
the dignity of men and women at work".
Racial harassment is when the behaviours are
linked to your skin colour, race or cultural background. In
countries with sectarian tradition (as in Ireland) the term
sectarian harassment is often used if the behaviours are linked to
your religious beliefs or perceived religious origin or
inclination. If the harassment is physical, the criminal law of
assault may be appropriate. If the harassment comprises regular
following, watching, repeated unsolicited contact or gifts and so
on, then the term stalking may be appropriate.
Discrimination is when you are treated differently because of
your gender, race or disability.
Bullying is the common denominator of harassment,
discrimination, abuse and violence. The source of most bullying and
harassment can usually be traced to one individual.
The differences between harassment and bullying are,
briefly:
- Harassment tends to have a strong physical component and is
usually linked to gender, race, disability or physical
violence
- Bullying tends to be a large number of incidents (individually
trivial) over a long period comprising constant unjustified and
unsubstantiated criticism
Bullying and harassment (at work, in society, at school and at
home) is a major cause of injury to health, both physical and
mental. Over time, bullying and harassment result in trauma, which
is a psychiatric injury, the collective symptoms of which often
constitute Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.
Areas of UK law that apply to harassment
The principal areas of UK law relating to harassment
comprise:
- Sex Discrimination Act 1975: discrimination on the grounds of
sex by dismissing an employee or submitting them to "any other
detriment"
- Race Relations Act 1976: ditto on racial grounds
- Disability Discrimination Act 1995: ditto on grounds of
disability
- Protection from Harassment Act 1996: harassment and
stalking
- Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994: intentional
harassment for causing another person harassment, alarm or distress
by using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour
- Criminal law of assault
Bully
Online is the world's largest resource on bullying and related
issues