The Livings Springs High School.

Project on Bullying
Yr. 8
Aborisade Joy.
• Bullying may be defined in many different ways. In the United Kingdom,
there is no legal definition of bullying, while some states in the United
States have laws against it. Bullying is divided into four basic types of
abuse – psychological (sometimes called emotional or
relational), verbal, physical, and cyber.
• Behaviors used to assert such domination may include
physical assault or coercion, verbal harassment, or threat, and such acts
may be directed repeatedly toward particular targets. Rationalizations of
such behavior sometimes include differences of social class, race,
religion, gender, sexual orientation, appearance, behavior, body
language, personality, reputation, lineage, strength, size, or ability. If
bullying is done by a group, it is called mobbing.
• The term bullying has changed drastically over time. In the 18th and
19th centuries bullying was mainly viewed as physical or verbal
harassment commonly linked with, “…death, strong isolation or
extortion in school children…” (Koo, 2007). Any type of aggressive
behavior was simply seen as mischief and a normal part of
childhood. In fact, according to Koo (2007), bullying was thought of
as an innocent “misadventure” or “misbehavior” among schoolboys
(p110). This type of bullying was clearly observed at King’s Boarding
School in the U.K when a twelve-year old boy was killed from bullying
behaviors by his older classmates (Koo, 2007, p110).  The
schoolboys involved were not held accountable for his death
because the school viewed the behavior as a normal misadventure
among the teens (Koo, 2007). It may be fair to say that this situation
would be viewed much different today and that the bullying
behaviors then were viewed as a normal part of growing up among
children. 
• ​Bullies have always been a part of any group development, from the earliest
civilizations, and in religions, militaries, schools, neighborhood cliques, teams,
families, and companies. 
• The workplace bullying phenomenon, as we know it today, first entered the public
consciousness on the heels of the workplace sexual harassment issue in the early
1980s. During that decade, Swedish psychologist Heinz Leymann was among the
first to conceptualize and analyze the act of workplace bullying. In the early 1990s,
British journalist Andrea Adams popularized the term “workplace bullying”
through a series of BBC radio documentaries. 
• In the United States, bullying first became a major issue in the public sector, with
some schools and government agencies taking an avid interest in safeguarding
against it. Later, this interest spilled over into private sector workplaces. During the
early to mid-1990s, more American researchers began studying the problem of
psychologically abusive behaviors at work and the harm they create. Another
driver of interest in the private sector was the growing concern about the costs of
workplace bullying to a company’s bottom line.  
• Bullying has been a critical issue in schools for decades. Looking
back to the 18th century peer-on-peer harassment was just as
commonly seen as it is today. Of course, during that time bullying
was newly recognized and little understood. What may be seen as
violent behavior today might not have been in that time. While
bullying in schools remains a critical issue, throughout the years
several events and studies have taken place that have made a
significant impact on bullying and have expanded its meaning in
many ways.
Sometimes, bullies in secondary schools, be it day or boarding, are
not just the pupils but teachers who are supposed to be custodians of
these pupils.
Last year. An Assistant Headmaster of Jajare Central Primary School,
in Fune Local Government Area of Yobe state. Abubakar Musa, was
arrested for allegedly raping a 10-year-old pupil. In this case the
suspect , according to spokesman for the Yobe State Police
Command , ASP Dungus Abdulkarim , had carnal knowledge of the
primary 5 pupil , twice, on July 15 and 17,2021.
 We also have another story of bullying;
Late Karen-Happuch, Aonadodoo Akpagher, is one case that left many
hearts  shattered, just like late Sylvester Oromoni’s.
While the latter was able to state what transpired in his hostel, shortly
before he breathed his last, the former didn’t.
Late  Keren Akpagher, a 14 year old pupil of Premier Academy,Lugbe
Abuja died of sepsis earlier this year. She had called her mother ,
complaining of eye pains. But after her death, a used condom was found
inside her, private part, suggesting she could have been raped. She died
without mentioning names of the perpetrators. But her mother is
pointing accusing fingers at the school, insisting that the pedophile was
from her late daughter’s school.
• Today, bullying is viewed much differently than it was in the 1800’s. It
took many years for the term to be identified for the serious problems
it presents. Due to researchers like Dan Olweus, gaining true
understanding of bullying is now possible. Educators have been able
to gain insights of these issues so they can help stop them from
occurring. Indeed, with the growth of technology bullying will be
difficult to track and school administrators will have to stay current
as electronics continue to change. It is difficult to determine what the
future of bullying will be, yet as the government continues to
mandate school safety laws and begins to strictly hold bullies
accountable for their actions, schools will become a safer place for
children.