AWTS

INTRODUCTION

Bullying is a serious problem in homes, schools and communities. Often dismissed as an adolescent “rite of passage,” research clearly indicates bullying is learned behavior and detrimental to the academic, physical, social and emotional development of all involved – bullies, targets and the bystanders who witness it. Bullying is not only a problem of youth but is one that spans all ages. Despite volumes of research, countless “anti-bullying” programs and increased scrutiny by the media, bullying continues to pervade our culture and our schools. It is a complex social issue requiring determination, leadership and courage to address. Although it is a difficult challenge, it cannot be ignored. A wave of recent bullying incidents with tragic outcomes has shed a renewed light on this issue. The advent of technology allowing for impulsive, anonymous and rapid communication has expanded the opportunities for bullying to a degree that necessitates more innovative and immediate responses than ever before. Bullying ranges from simple one-on-one bullying to more complex bullying in which the bully may have one or more "lieutenants" who may seem to be willing to assist the primary bully in his or her bullying activities. Bullying in school and the workplace is also referred to as peer abuse. A bullying culture can develop in any context in which human beings interact with each other. This includes school, family, the workplace, home, and neighborhoods. Bullying may be defined as the activity of repeated, aggressive behavior intended to hurt another person, physically or mentally. Bullying is characterized by an individual behaving in a certain way to gain power over another person. Bullying occurs when a person is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other persons'. He says negative actions occur 'when a person intentionally inflicts injury or discomfort upon another person, through physical contact, through words