In many schools, bullying happens to children of all ages and across all diverse groups. However, it has been noted that children from lower economic backgrounds are more prone to bullying than other groups (Zielinski). However, bullying can happen to anyone without any pre-disposition to it.
According to a report by CNN, carried the story of a 15 year old Chinese boy who had been beaten up by three bullies who had routinely beaten him the in the past. The boy had been badly hurt and had to be rushed to hospital where he underwent a surgery (Lu & Yu). The case received much public attention after the relatives of the boy resorted to social media campaigns to push for justice to be done. The case however did not get any further after the parents of the bully paid the victim’s parents, their fine (Lu & Yu).
This case here presents a serious case where bullying has gotten to a life-threatening level yet neither the authorities nor the school do anything much about it. The CNN report details that there have been several instances of bullying which have gone unpunished (Lu & Yu). The Chinese government laws do not prescribe punishment for those less than 16 years of age, unless they commit serious crimes like murder. This means that bullying cases which mostly happen in this age-group go unpunished. Lacks of serious consequences for such offenses do not hinder potential offenders from committing further crime. Despite the increased reports of bullying incidents, there hasn’t been anything done (Lu &Yu).
On the contrary, the American system seems to handle bullying in a more effective and definitive ways, than the Chinese do. According to Hurst, American institutions have tried to put in place several measures to curb bullying in schools (Hurst). There have been policy measures put to punish offenders, investigate offenses, protect victims and facilitate reporting of cases of bullying (Hurst). There have also been several studies conducted to gain knowledge on bullying, understand its extent and gather statistics on the prevalence of bullying (Hurst). The amount of research put on shows that the authorities have invested in mitigating bullying. The US laws also have several punishment forms for offenders, including juvenile detention. Punishments measures help reduce incidents of bullying.
Bullying has negative effects on both bullies and the victims. The cases of bullying are high, requiring attention by all concerned. The laws should be put in place to facilitate reporting, investigation, and punishment for offenders. To this end, the American government has done more than the Chinese have done.
Works Cited
Hurst, Marianne. "When It Comes To Bullying, There Are No Boundaries - Education Week". Edweek.org. N.p., 2016. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
Lu, Shen and Yu Elaine. “Kids get violent: China's school bullying epidemic.” CNN.Com. N.p. 2015. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
Zielinski, Sarah. "Bullying's Long-Term Effects Seen In Both The Bullied And The Bully". News.nationalgeographic.com. N.p., 2014. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
