Times Of Swaziland: GENDERED HARASSMENT AT SCHOOL

GENDERED HARASSMENT AT SCHOOL
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Nomsa Mbuli on 02/08/2024 08:17:00


THE past events on bullying at school prompted a lot of conversation around the
roles schools and parents can play to combat peer bullying at school. Among
those discussions, my worry has been the apparent sidelining of the different
types of bullying that happen in schools.There are hostile environments that
children are exposed to, depending on their circumstances. I went to a school
that accommodated children from different ethnic backgrounds - there were
blacks, Indians, mixed race, Chinese and white children - all of which will tell
you different stories of how they were treated by fellow pupils and teachers.
Specific
Today, I want us to look at a specific kind of bullying in schools called
‘Gendered harassment’. Bullying is defined as behaviour that repeatedly and
overtime intentionally inflicts injury on another. Gendered harassment is a form
of bullying, which is defined as behaviour that acts to assert the boundaries of
traditional gender norms. So, a feminine looking boy can be the target of
bullying because he ‘looks like a girl’, and a girl who plays soccer may
suffer the same fate, because soccer is considered to be a boys’ sport. I
remember one boy in high school was often referred to ‘sisi’ and knowing
better now, I realise he was being bullied and he probably carried that with him
for most of his life beyond high school. So bullying is not just hitting someone
or grabbing their lunch money. It goes beyond what meets the eye. It includes
biased behaviours that have negative impact on the targeted individual or the
environment.
Bullying
Although physical bullying is often the most obvious bullying addressed at
schools, verbal bullying and harassment are also prevalent and often ignored.
Yet, the psychological effects of such bullying are real and long-lasting
because they result from painful and unaddressed experiences. Pupils who are
being harassed at school are more likely to skip school, abuse drugs and alcohol
and have a higher rate of suicidal thoughts and attempts. Most of these students
perceive school as a dangerous place and that cause damage to their level if
engagement in the school community.They will not participate in class; they will
refrain from participating in sports and will most likely keep to themselves and
not even have friends. I don’t know what it is about bullies, but once they
notice this, they will increase their toxic behaviour towards that pupil making
their life even more miserable.
Ignored
Unfortunately, because this kind of bullying is often ignored, it means
educators are not adequately intervening in these forms of bullying. Thus
inaction on the part of educators teaches pupils that the institution of the
school, and by extension society as a whole, condones such activity. By teaching
pupils that gendered harassment is tolerated, schools effectively support the
discriminatory attitudes that cause it in the first place. As democratic
institution in a diverse and changing society, schools need to implement
policies and rules in place that will guard against bullying.
There’s a school in Manzini that has a comprehensive anti-bullying that I wish
all schools could adopt. They do not only have rules against bullying, they also
bring different experts each week who talk to the learners about bullying. I
believe that helps a lot in dealing with the problem in the school, and most
schools can benefit a lot if they could adopt the prevention model than dealing
with or reacting to an incident.