A MAJORITY of secondary school pupils who have been bullied said they were picked on because of their physical attributes, according to a Health Ministry survey.

The teenager health survey 2017 revealed that one in six pupils was a victim of bullying and mostly targeted because of his or her physical attribute (15.9%) or as sexual jokes (14.1%).

Pahang recorded the highest number of bullying victims at 22%, followed by Selangor (18.6%) and Sabah (18.3%). Kelantan recorded the fewest cases at 12.5%.

The study found that when it came to bullying, being in a city or rural school made little difference.

“The research shows that violent acts are related to other negative factors, such as smoking, abuse of drugs, playing truant and having physical or mental problems,” said the report.

The study showed that 11.8% of teenagers suffered some form of physical abuse at home, while 43.2% admitted to being verbally abused.

The research conducted by the General Health Institute interviewed more than 27,000 pupils from 212 secondary schools nationwide. It was conducted in March to May last year.

The study found that the number of bullying cases dipped from 17.9% of respondents five years ago, to 16.2% last year.

Prevention

Researchers in the study recommended that bullying be addressed via counselling and suggested a holistic approach starting at home.

They also said preventive programmes involving family members were more effective in addressing bullying cases, than punishments.

“Teachers need to identify pupils who might be prone to bully others,” said senior lecturer at the psychology and counselling department of Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Ab Aziz Yatim.

“Approach them quickly and rehabilitate. Conduct programmes with the good pupils and then follow their progress slowly,” he said.

Aziz, who has studied teenage behaviour for 20 years, said disciplinary problems in school, including bullying, can be overcome effectively with compassion and love.

“Because their voices are not heard, these pupils will become delinquents just to achieve some satisfaction,” he said, adding that he disapproved with proposals for bullies to be expelled from school.

Dr Nurul Kharmila Abdullah, founder of anti-bullying campaign “You Touch, You Go”, said parents must bear the responsibility of enforcing discipline at home.

“Children need to be taught to respect others and to be kind.

“But even though this might be taught at home, there are teenagers who are influenced by their peers because they fear rejection,” said Nurul, whose child was a victim of bullying.

Last year, a United Nations Children’s Fund survey of 14 nations found that 77%, or 7 in 10 Malaysian children were worried about becoming victims of bullying, compared with three in 10 children in Japan and nearly 4 in 10 children in the United Kingdom.

In June 2017, 18-year-old T. Nhaveen died of injuries after he was physically and sexually abused by a group of boys with a history of bullying him in school. – August 31, 2018.