Bullying, abuse, safety & the law

There are different types of bullying:

Verbal Bullying

Verbal bullying is saying or writing horrible things. Verbal bullying includes:

• Teasing
• Name-calling
• Inappropriate sexual comments
• Threatening to cause harm

Social Bullying

Social bullying, involves hurting someone’s reputation or relationships. Social bullying includes:

• Leaving someone out on purpose
• Telling other children not to be friends with someone
• Spreading rumors about someone
• Embarrassing someone in public

Physical Bullying

Physical bullying involves hurting someone or their possessions. Physical bullying includes:

• Hitting/kicking/pinching
• Spitting
• Tripping/pushing
• Taking or breaking someone’s things
• Making mean or rude hand gestures

Cyber Bullying

Cyber bullying is any form of bullying which takes place online or through phones and tablets. Cyber Bullying can happen through Social Media sites such as, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and text messaging.

Homophobia

Homophobia is a dislike of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people, or people who are thought to be LGBT. LGBT people can sometimes be discriminated against and lead to them being bullied or hurt.

Homophobia can include people:

• insulting you or threatening you because of your sexual orientation
• saying things like “It’s just a phase you’re going through,” or “How can you know your sexual orientation at your age?”
• telling you that being LGBT is a choice and that you can change your sexual orientation
• telling you that being LGBT is an illness

It's important to know that your sexuality is only one part of you and we should get to know people before judging them based on their sexuality.

Racism

Being bullied because of the way you look, your race, culture or nationality can be tough. It is wrong and illegal. It might make you feel like you should change the way you look, speak or act. You might also feel embarrassed about your background or things people say about you. Some people might judge you or bully you, but there are also open-minded people who will want to know the real you. To help feel more involved, you can find hobbies to meet others who share your interests.