Anti-bullying message for October

October is National Bullying Prevention Month….and it is estimated that one out of every 4 children is bullied.

Schools and child advocacy organizations are spreading the message that bullying is not accepted.  In fact, they say bullying is a form of child abuse and 4 out of every 10 children will drop out of high school this year because they are bullied. Bullying is a contributor to youth violence, homicides and suicides.

Congresswoman Linda Sanchez, (CA) is part of the effort.  She says, “The message I would give to students is, tell somebody.  tell somebody that you trust. it can be an adult or a friend but we can’t help if we don’t know what is happening.  So to kids that are suffering in silence, don’t do that, don’t let the bully win.  Tell someone that you trust.”

Part of the “Stop Bullying Campaign” is to not be a bystander.  Acceptance of bullying can be seen as support.  While you may not want to get directly involved in an incident and put your self at risk, you can also report the bully.