There were several bullying cases being reported in the recent weeks and some of them were so horrifying that Malaysians demanded an immediate response from the authorities.
There were several preventative measures and punishments being imposed but the bullying cases are still rampant. This also suggests that our policies in combating bullying may not be as effective as expected too.
In an interview with Harian Metro, Dr Zainal Madon, a professor from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), he explained that the senior-junior status is the main contributor for bullying cases, especially in dormitories.
Dr Zainal said that there were seniors who expect their juniors to show respect to them by following all the instructions given to the junior. If they do not follow the instructions, the senior’s ego would be hurt and he will accuse the junior of being rude and arrogant.
The senior would then either physically, mentally or emotionally punish the junior.
This situation is subconsciously made into a culture by the teenagers and later pass on to the juniors who subsequently joined the school.
In most cases, the juniors would have no choice but the live with being bullied as they will be given a more severe punishment if they make a complaint to the teachers.
Besides, there are several reasons of why did a student become a bully.
According to Dr Zainal, the first reason being the bully himself was once a victim of bullying and he sought for revenge. When they turn senior, they would do the same on their juniors.
Next being an aggressive and violent personality. However, this is likely due to the harsh and rude parenting style.
The third being these individuals enjoyed a sense of superiority or power. They are often involved in bullying to make themselves feel proud or to think that they are greater than the rest.
Dr Zainal also said that if bullying is done in groups, the victim could have suffer more serious injuries as bullies often act more boldly and aggressively in groups.
In response to the recent bullying cases, the Ministry of Education Malaysia (KPM) has already in place guidelines and and measures to prevent and educate bullies.
However, bullying is far from the end and more has to be done to prevent students from become bullies.
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