AMA supports action against bullying and violence
On the inaugural National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence, the AMA reiterates its support for coordinated community action to stamp out bullying and violence, especially involving children and adolescents, but also in workplaces where it affects people of all ages.
AMA Vice President, Dr Steve Hambleton, said today that the AMA is acutely aware of community concerns around child and adolescent bullying and is taking active steps to raise awareness of bullying and the effect that it has on people’s health.
“Doctors provide care and support to children and young people and their families who are affected by bullying,” Dr Hambleton said.
“The physical and mental health consequences for the victims of bullying are serious. Victims can become traumatised, anxious, and seriously depressed – and sometimes these problems can continue through to adulthood.
“And now with greater access to mobile phones, digital cameras and laptop computers, as well as social networking websites such as Facebook, Bebo, MySpace and Twitter, episodes of bullying can be intense, unrelenting, and even more menacing.
“Recently, graphic images of bullying have been broadcast on sites such as YouTube,” Dr Hambleton said.
The AMA congratulates the Government on its work to assist schools to deal with bullying and violence, including the revised National Safe Schools Framework, which includes principles for a whole of school, approach to effective student safety and wellbeing policies.
The AMA will shortly release a brochure for children and young people that provides information about what bullying is and advice about how to address it, and a fact sheet for medical professionals about childhood bullying and its health impacts.
Background:
- It has been estimated that one in four school students in Australia are bullied (every few weeks or more),
- Research suggests that students who are bullied have a two-fold increase in the likelihood of depressive symptoms. Those who admitted to bullying others had a two-fold increase in the likelihood of theft, violent behaviours, and binge drinking,
- A recent survey of 24,000 young girls found that 68 per cent of those surveyed were very concerned about bullying, and
- The 2010 Mission Australia National Survey of Young People found that, overall, one in five young people had concerns about bullying. For those aged 11 to 14 years, bullying was the third highest concern (following body image and family conflict).
18 March 2011
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