Bullying, Part Three: For Some, Bullying Ends in Tragedy

This is part three of a six-part series on bullying. Read part one or here. 

The story of high school sophomore from South Africa who was being bullied and attacked in a  ended in a much more tragic manner. 

David Hlongwane was sixteen, and was mercilessly punched and beaten by four classmates. He escaped to the principal's office, who sent home a note to all of the parents of the children involved, but on his way out of the office, one of the boys attacked David again.

That evening, David avoided his parents, and went straight to his room, claiming fatigue. The following morning, his stepfather went to wake the teenager for school, and left the home. Upon his return, he found David's favorite gospel song playing, and the boy hanging from the rafters. He was still faintly breathing at that time, so the cord holding him was cut, and emergency measures were taken.

Sadly, he was pronounced dead upon arrival at the clinic. At that time, the letter from the principal was finally found in David's pocket, and the bullies admitted to their actions the day before. The chairman of the school promised to call an urgent meeting to discuss the teenager's suicide, but has since been unable to be reached for comment, according to the article published in the Sunday Times. 

The most frightening bullying story that I have come across thus far, and is the reason I chose to look further into this epidemic of bullying, is a twelve-year-old girl that has committed suicide after to being bullied.

Payton Ruth Ann Richardson was visiting her grandparents for an extended weekend, borrowed her grandfather's (securely placed, but not locked or loaded) pistol, and used it on herself, according to an article on weau.com.

To be clear, the grandfather has claimed that his granddaugher had full knowledge of how to properly use a gun, and this was absolutely not an accident, however out of character the action was.

Her friends state that the girl had been bullied by a group of children repeatedly, though the superintendent says that "there was no indication of bullying." Unfortunately, that is also what is being said in a story about a local family who was bullied, but there is no denying the concussion or bruises that were caused by another child in his school.

I'd like to believe that these last two stories are on the extreme side of bullying, hence the term "bully-cide." But sadly, every day, thousands of teens wake up and are afraid to go to school. It is a problem that affects millions of students, and has everyone worried because parents, teachers, and other adults, do not always see it, or they may not understand how extreme bullying has become. It is no longer simply a childhood phase - it is a serious problem, and it needs to end.

Impact of Bullying

According to Dan Olweus, creator of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, bullies can have an impact on lots of students, but also on themselves. The effects of bullying include: 

Depression

Low self-esteem

Health problems

Poor grades

Suicidal thoughts

Students Who Bully Others - 

Students who bully others are more likely to: 

Get into frequent fights

Steal and vandalize property

Drink alcohol and smoke

Report poor grades

Perceive a negative climate at school

Carry a weapon

Observers of Bullying - Students who see bullying happen also may feel that they are in an unsafe environment. Effects may include feeling:

Fearful

Powerless to act

Guilty for not acting

Tempted to participate in fear of being the next victim

Schools with Bullying Issues - When bullying continues and a school does not take action, the entire school climate can be affected in the following ways:

The school develops an environment of fear and disrespect

Students have difficulty learning

Students feel insecure

Students dislike school

Students perceive that teachers and staff have little control and don't care about them

Part four discusses ways parents and educators can help to end this increasingly severe issue.