hi, i only realised how serious this was today when it really pushed my big red ALERT button. a boy in my class (13 yo) keeps making fun of me and threating me. tody i was coming out of geography the last lesson of the day when he lead his other freinds into my back pack. he was opening my backpack and looking through it when i noticed a pulling on my back. he had found my sanitary towls and was laughing about it! i was petrified to react because my freind has a crush on him so i just laughed and smiled while i shut my bag. my freinds and others were with me in the corridor when it happened and they didnt do anything. the same happened at art today. i was in art and sitting text to my freinds when i realised they were making fun of me, they werent even jocking around they were just flat out calling me names and stuff. this happenes often and i dont no what to do at all. help me
Sam
Hi there,
Being made fun of, called names and being threatened are types of bullying and that’s never okay. There are things you can do to try to stop what’s happening. Your property belongs to you and no one has the right to touch your belongings or take your things out of your bag without your permission.
You might feel uncomfortable when someone bullies you, especially when they draw attention to you in front of other people. It can be hard to know how to react to what they’re doing. You might feel shocked but also worried about what other people think about you and that can sometimes stop you from getting help.
Once you realise how much their behaviour is affecting you, you might feel angry and hurt that you've been treated badly and also that no one else has said that what’s happening is wrong. Your friends and other people who see what’s happening might not know what to do either. They may do nothing or they might join in if they feel scared of the bullies and frightened that it could happen to them.
You have a choice about whether to confront someone who's bullying you or not. There isn’t a right answer. It’s down to what you feel most comfortable doing. It’s always okay to walk away rather than confront someone, especially if you’re worried about what they might do or you don’t feel safe. If you did want to confront them it helps to be confident and assertive.
You also need to decide whether you want to report it to a teacher or to another adult that you trust. Your school will have rules about the kind of behaviour that’s not acceptable and they should always take reports of bullying seriously. If you want the school to help make bullying stop, the sooner they know about it the more they can do.
Although it can be hard to ask for help it’s important to remember that bullying is always wrong and it can sometimes get worse when the person who’s intimidating you thinks that no one will stand up to them. They might not understand how their behaviour's affecting you and they might think that they can continue to do what they’re doing.
Thanks for your letter. I hope this advice has helped.
Take care,
Sam
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