Bullying

What is bullying?

This is the Anti-Bullying Alliance’s definition of bullying:

“The repetitive, intentional hurting of one person or group by another person or group, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power.”

People are often bullied because of a difference. That could be their race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, an aspect of their appearance, or something else. Bullying can be:

• Physical – for example pushing, kicking, hitting, biting, pinching.
• Verbal – for example teasing, belittling, spreading rumours, threats, sarcasm.
• Emotional – for example ridicule, humiliation, threatening gestures, intimidating, excluding and isolating others, manipulation and coercion.
• Sexual – for example unwanted physical contact, inappropriate touching, abusive comments, homophobic abuse, exposure to inappropriate films.
• Online/cyber – for example posting on social media, sharing photos, sending nasty messages, social exclusion.

Disagreements and falling out are a normal part of relationships, whether that’s in your relationships with your friends and family, at work with neighbours or with people who are paid to help take care of you.

It can be difficult and upsetting, and sometimes it can be hard to tell when the way someone is treating you crosses the line from disagreement to become bullying.

Some of the key differences are that bullying is something which happens repeatedly, and one person usually has power over the other person, for example your manager at work.

What to do if you are being bullied

If you feel able to, talk to someone who you trust. Keeping a record of what has been happening will help anyone trying to support you with the bullying to understand, and to be able to do something about it.

Don’t be tempted to get back at someone – you could get hurt or get yourself into trouble.  While the bullying is still going on, it is important to look after yourself and try to remember you deserve to be cared about and treated with respect. Spend as much time as you can with people who make you feel good about yourself.

If you think you might be experiencing domestic abuse, please check our relationships page.

Take a look at this video from the BBC about how to tell if you’re being bullied at work: