Bullying As A Form Of Abuse

Bullying
Richard Price
EH 1020-11D-6, English Composition II
Professor Sarah Syrjanen
July 3, 2012

Richard Price
Professor Syrjanen
English Composition II
July 3, 2012
Bullying as a form of abuse: Bullying has been around for as long as one can remember. Although not many old cases seem to have been recorded, in the recent years bullying has had some dire consequences leaving the populous outraged. Has bullying been mishandled for so long that it has grown into an epidemic? The increase in bullying and the devastating results of more cases dictates the need for any form of bullying to be treated more severely. Children should not fear to go to school and face their peers. A child should never feel isolated and distraught
Children get bullied by classmates or even their parents. Samuel W. Flynt, Ed.D., and Rhonda Collins Morton, Ph.D., are professors of Special Education in the Department of Counselor, Leadership, and Special Education at Auburn University. In their article “Alabama Elementary Principals’ Perceptions of Bullying,” they state that bullying is on the rise, especially pertaining to children with disabilities. “Approximately 25% of elementary and high school students and 40% of middle school students report being bullied at least once per week” (Flynt & Collins, 2008, p. 187). Adults get bullied at work by individuals appointed over them or by their peers. Alexia Georgakopoulos is the director of Conflict Resolution and Communication at Nova Southern University. Brianna Kent is an assistant professor at Nova Southern University. LaVena Wilkin, Ph.D., serves as the Dean of Conflict Management and Professor at Sullivan University. They co-wrote the article “Workplace Bullying: A Complex Problem in Contemporary Organizations.” This article states that workplace bullying normally occurs from a ranking individual such as a supervisor (Georgakopoulos, Kent, & Wilkin, 2011). Bullying not only affects the perpetrator and victim, but the witnesses or bystanders as well. Bullying increases stress levels, decreases morale and work ethics, and it also makes the employees lose trust in their company. (Georgakopoulos
Thus far 49 states have enacted laws against bullying and 14 states have laws against cyberbullying (citation). Although this is a positive step in the right direction to put a stop to bullying; more action is needed against bullies, particularly for those people that choose cyberbullying. There is no denying the affects of bullying are overwhelmingly similar to that of physical or mental abuse and often time’s worse. The only way to end the bullying is to punish those committing the act by charging them with a crime. The roadblocks that legislation faces, such as potentially violating people’s civil rights, means this may never become a government law. The necessity for a government wide law against any form of bullying, that is applicable to children and adults alike is ever-growing, as evidenced by the increasing amount of victims committing suicides. The needless deaths of the victims can be avoided by putting an end to bullying. Bullying is a form of abuse and bullies must be held accountable and punished by