The whole country is in an uproar following the recent case of the death of Sylvester. With the demands for Justice for Slyvester increasing everywhere, both online and offline. As a Nation, we need to dig deeper into the evil of bullying. The reality is that bullying takes many forms; it can be physical, verbal, online or emotional, and many go unnoticed. However, some cases make the news like the unfortunate and unnecessary death of Sylvester Oromoni Jnr. An 11-year-old student of Dowen College.Â
What is Bullying?
Social psychologists in their definitions say that bullying is psychological violence; sustained aggression that strips a person of control and dignity. Amongst the devastating effects of bullying is that it is a repeated pattern and doesn't just happen in isolation. It is so terrible that the victim ends up in an inferior position, sometimes even to death as we have witnessed in the… Click To Tweet
Sylvester Oromoni; A victim of Bullying
According to Mr Sylvester Oromoni Sr., the father of the deceased, in a Live interview with Punch Newspaper, Sylvester Junior was allegedly beaten by some seniors in his school (Dowen college) and given a substance to drink. Sylvester sustained body injuries and was in so much pain that he could barely walk.
According to the school, it was claimed that the deceased sustained injuries from playing football. Hence he was taken to the school’s Sickbay for treatment. When he was not responding to treatment, they then had to call his parents to come and pick him up. He was picked up by his parents, taken home and sadly passed away a few days after.
There are so many contradictory sides to this story. But, what is clear is that a child died as a result of bullying. The evil called bullying does not usually happen as a one-time event. The evil of bullying is that it is consistent and there is always a pattern of force, coercion, and abuse to intimidate or dominate someone.
A child is often bullied because they are seemingly smaller in size, anxious, withdrawn, or are perceived as weak or different. Unfortunately, in this case, it appears that he had complained about being a victim of being bullied. However, no one not his parents, ever imagined it would amount to this sad outcome.
How to Know When Your Child is Being Bullied
Sometimes parents do not know what to look out for when it comes to the signs that their child is being bullied. Some signs to look out for include:
- Withdrawal
- Change in eating or sleeping habits
- Lack of interest in school
For more signs of a child being bullied, read hereÂ
Read also what to do when your child is being bullied by a teacher.
What to do when your child is being bullied.
Bullying is evil and because the adverse effects are numerous, parents need to take action immediately. There are several things parents can do when a child reports being bullied, or notice the signs.
- You should listen to your child and let them know that they can always talk to you.
- Emotions must be put aside as you listen.
- Show commitment by following up with your child.
- Immediately escalate the issue to your child’s teacher and school management.
- Work together with the school to ensure that appropriate measures are taken.
- Show children that bullying is taken seriously and model appropriate behaviour to your children. All parents should teach their children that bullying is not acceptable.
All parents must ask their children’s school for the safeguarding policies which should detail the school plans around inappropriate situations; such as bullying, online safety, sexual misconduct and more.
Read: How to Teach Children to Choose respect Over BullyingÂ
Learning More About CyberBullying
While some schools might have rules in place to curb bullying. But, how do we curb bullying when it happens in a place without adult supervision? How do we control bullying when it happens online? It is so bad, that in most cases where bullying has been reported in schools and the child(victim) is withdrawn from the school, the bullying can continue online.
Children may be reluctant to admit bullying both physical and online because it often goes unnoticed. Research shows that 60% of teenagers have experienced some sort of cyberbullying. While 70% of teenagers have reported someone spreading rumours about them online! These numbers are staggering.Â
Read more About What you Need to Know About Cyberbullying and your ChildÂ
Online Safety Masterclass for Children
How can parents keep their children safe from the evil of cyberbullying? What are the measures to be taken to protect children? How can we ensure that our children are not bullies themselves? Find some things you need to know about parenting in the digital age here.
To continue to ensure widespread education about Online Safety, on the 18th of December 2021, Lagosmums will be hosting an Online Safety Masterclass for children. Where they will be equipped with the knowledge, resources and skills they need to be safe online.
The session is in two batches. The first will hold from 10 am – 11 am(WAT) for children between ages 6-12 and the second will hold from 11;30 am- to 12;30 pm (WAT) for ages 13-16.
Click here to register your children for a fee of N1000 per family (covers all children in a family).
