sheree smith
A Global Epidemic
Immigrant children are more likely to face bullying due to the preconceived prejudices held by their peers. Bullying based on a students ethnic heritage is known as biased-based bullying. (Caravita, S. 2016)
Bullies often justify their actions by convincing themselves and others that their victims deserve it.
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The sentiment of the host country plays a big part in how refugee children are perceived and treated. In Filippiada, Greece, ant-sentiment is rife and locals are very vocal about not letting refugee children attend local schools. They fear that their children will catch diseases, have limited resources directed away from their children and that the schools will lose their cultural heritage.
Refugee students also face the added barrier of hate against Islam due to the 400 year occupation of Greece by the Islamic Ottoman Empire.
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Dombeck, M (2014) determines that the the effects of bullying can be categorised as follows,
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'In the short term:
• Anger
• Depression
• Anxious avoidance of settings in which bullying may occur.
• Greater incidence of illness
• Lower grades than non-bullied peers
• Suicidal thoughts and feelings
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In the long term:
• Reduced occupational opportunities
• Lingering feelings of anger and bitterness, desire for revenge.
• Difficulty trusting people
• Interpersonal difficulties, including fear and avoidance of new social situations
• Increased tendency to be a loner
• Perception of self as easy to victimize, overly sensitive, and thin-skinned
• Self-esteem problems (don't think well of self)
• Increased incidence of continued bullying and victimization'
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Teachers Without Borders in conjunction with Bullying.org have launched an initiative to combat the global epidemic of bullying facing the word today. They have released courses and resources to aid educators in dealing with this issue.
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Their mission as stated on their website is: Teachers Without Borders connects teacher leaders to information and each other in order to close the education divide.
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By providing easy access to information and quality resources we all have the opportunity to make a difference and change the bullying culture in our local community schools and thanks to the global connection via technological avenues, we can also make a difference in communities around the world.
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For more information on the Bullying Initiate by TWB visit there website at https://teacherswithoutborders.org/bullying/
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References
Camacho, V. (2013, December 18). Bullying - global, national, local. [Video file]. Retrieved from:
Caravita, S. (2016). Migrant and refugee children are victims of more bullying than their peers. [Online article]. Retrieved from: https://theconversation.com/migrant-and-refugee-children-are-victims-of-more-bullying-than-their-peers-66722
Dombeck, M. (2014). The Long Term Effects of Bullying. [Onlin article]. Retrieved from: http://www.aaets.org/article204.htm
PBSNewsHour. (2016, October 11). Greece sends stranded refugee children to school, stoking anti-migrant resistance. [Video file]. Retrieved from:
erences
Camacho, V. (2013, December 18). Bullying - global, national, local. [Video file]. Retrieved from:
Caravita, S. (2016). Migrant and refugee children are victims of more bullying than their peers. [Online article]. Retrieved from: https://theconversation.com/migrant-and-refugee-children-are-victims-of-more-bullying-than-their-peers-66722
Dombeck, M. (2014). The Long Term Effects of Bullying. [Onlin article]. Retrieved from: http://www.aaets.org/article204.htm
PBSNewsHour. (2016, October 11). Greece sends stranded refugee children to school, stoking anti-migrant resistance. [Video file]. Retrieved from:
This video highlights the issues faced by students in schools across the USA but it is also a reminder of the issues all students face in schools around the world.
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Refugee students face the added pressures of being in countries where the culture, beliefs, language and curriculum are often alien to them and where they find themselves in circumstances that are trying at best.
Bullying
