The ugly face of bullying rising to invade cyber spaces

By Matsoarelo Makuke
news@alexreporter.co.za

The prevalence of bullying in South Africa among school learners is increasing at an alarming rate. According to the anti-bullying campaign, roughly 57% of South African pupils have been bullied at some time during their high-school career. The unfortunate part is that bullying occurs in all types of schools from elite, to middle and types of public schools.

Recently on 25 November, police were called in Roedean Senior School , one of the top private schools in Johannesburg, on the 25th of an altercation that involved the high-profile parents of two 11-year-olds who were alleged to have bullied a classmate so severely that she wanted to end her life.

On 12 August, a 14-year-old Senetlahla Mdeyide, a learner at Pholosho Junior Secondary School 30 kilometers away in Alexandra, committed suicide following bullying incidents claimed to have emanated from her Facebook post.

Bullying affects victims in a variety of ways, including emotionally, psychologically, physically, spiritually, and in other ways. It can take many different forms, some of which are more severe than others. Bullying can happen not only between students, but also between students and teachers. With the struggle to deal with the issue, the school management often struggle to deal with cyberbullying cases and teachers often fail the learners – some they perpetrate secondary victimization while some keep the cases to themselves.

With the rapid growth of digital technologies, electronic devices and the internet have become a need for the South African adolescents and teenagers. This has resulted in a high rate of social media usage, an unfortunate risk of online abuse where learners expose each other, using video, photoshop, catfishing and harassment. Social media allow a lot of these events to become public knowledge. This often result in the problem spreading outside of the school setting into the larger community, which may have consequences for the offenders, the victims, the parents, and the teachers.

A 2018 study conducted by the marketing group Ipsos shows that cyberbullying rate is 24%, placing South Africa in the fourth position in the world. It further states that above 50% the majority of cyberbullying cases are carried out by a child’s classmate, and about 54% of parents know of a child in their community experiencing cyberbullying.

Cyberbullying severely affects thousands of adolescents and teens on a daily basis. This scourge is the contributing factor to most learners who commit suicide which is currently the third largest cause of unnatural death in the country according to the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG).

Themba Mhlongo, a former learner at Pholosho Junior Secondary School was cyber bullied, with learners body shaming him because of his dark skin complexion and overweight. Mhlongo says he was always reminded of his dark skin and body weight instead of his academic progress as an A student.

“At first, I did not realize that I was cyber bullied and only realized that when I posted picture of myself on Facebook. My classmates and school mates made fun of my outfit and my dark complexion calling me all sorts of names”, says Mhlongo.

Before the disciplinary of his bullies, Mhlongo notes that he isolated himself from other kids and lived a lonely and stressful life. At some point he had suicidal thoughts because he could not take the bullying anymore especially when he realized that he did not have any friends or social life at school.

While Mhlongo survived bullying with therapy assistance, he believes that “perpetrators of cyber bullying should be dealt with accordingly and expelled from school and charges be laid against them so they can face the consequences of bullying others children”.

Lebogang Mashatola who is a clinical Social Worker dealing with children in the Township said that “cyber bullying can affect one’s metal health by lowering the children’s self-esteem confidence, and causes anxiety and depression and this might lead the child to isolating themselves from other people which could lead them to committing suicide”.

She further noted that learners should report cyberbullying cases to the school principal to take serious action on the matter and school social workers should start with the counseling process as soon as possible.

Mashatola urged parents to monitor their children’s moods, bags, books and behaviors to spot if they are being bullied and always check and monitor their phones. She said parents, teacher and principals needed to work together in making sure that their kids do not become victims or perpetrators of cyberbullying and more programs about cyberbullying should be initiated at schools to educate learners about cyberbullying.

What does the law say about bullying

The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, dedicates a whole section (Section 28) to children, and they enjoy the rights explicated therein. In addition, there is the Children’s Act, which inter alia purports to safeguard and protect the rights and interests of children. Furthermore, Schools Act requires schools to have a code of conduct on which every learner has to adhere to. All these relevant legal instruments seek to protect children against bullying.

On 26 May 2021, the Cybercrimes Act 19 of 2020 (“Act”) was finalised and is regarded as a major milestone that brings South Africa’s cybersecurity laws in line with international standards.

The Act will assist with curbing cyberbullying as there are direct criminal consequences linked to sending messages that threatens someone with violence or sending inappropriate sexual images of a person.

A person who is found guilty of any of the above crimes may be sentenced to a fine and/or imprisonment that does not exceed three years.

When it comes to children, the rules are applied in a way that takes into account their youth, immaturity, and inability to completely comprehend the gravity of the consequences of their acts.

The law distinguishes between children under the age of seven, who lack ability and cannot be held legally liable for their conduct, and children aged seven and older, who are presumed to lack capacity but who can be held legally responsible if this presumption is proven false. Minors who are 10 to 18 years old can be held legally accountable, but only as a last resort and for the shortest period possible.

What parents need to do

Parents can pay attention to their children when they start reacting in this behavior so they can know if they are being bullied or not:

Becoming sad, angry or distressed during or after the internet;
Being anxious whenever they receive a notification on their phone;
Avoiding discussions and being secretive about cell phone or computer use;
Withdrawing from family, friends and activities they previously enjoyed;and
Mood swings or changes in behavior, showing signs of depression or anxiety.

For cyber bullying cases, stress and depression, parents and learners can contact SADAG on: Suicide helpline – 0800 567 567, depression and anxiety – 0800 70 80 90, substance abuse – 0800 12 13 14, mental health 0800 21 22 23/ 0800 456 789.