Bullying leads to suicide attempt
Ian N Ford (ian@FORD.DIRCON.CO.UK)
Sun, 29 Aug 1999 21:00:06 +0100
Friends,
The following is edited from a story on the BBC Web site :
------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------
Bullying at primary school is forcing up the number of children calling
a national helpline, figures released by a charity suggest.Counsellors
at ChildLine's 24-hour phoneline reported a 12.5% increase in calls from
schoolchildren aged 11 and under, during the period from April 1997 to
March 1998.
Just under one third of the calls were from children complaining about
bullying, leading experts to fear that more young children are suffering
without feeling able to tell parents or teachers.
A spokeswoman for the charity said: "We are particularly concerned at
the high number of calls from young children complaining about
bullying - too many are carrying the double burden of being bullied and
keeping silent."
One nine-year-old boy called to tell counsellors he had tried to commit
suicide by jumping from a tree as a result of bullying.
"They punch me, slap me about and pull my hair. I tried to hide my
dinner money from them but it has made it worse - I can't take it much
longer," he said.
Some 30% of younger children complained about bullying, compared to 17%
of children of all ages.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------
Ian N Ford
