Gr. 7: Facts of Bullying and Harassment

Please read the following facts on bullying and harassment.
Homework: Fill out the mind-map on the 'Impacts of Harassment/Bullying' (ex. Social, Physical...)

Source: Canadian Red Cross

Facts on Bullying and Harassment

Bullying, cyberbullying and harassment jeopardize learning

·         Canadian teachers ranked cyberbullying as their issue of highest concern out of six listed options—89 per cent said bullying and violence are serious problems in our public schools.¹

·         Victims of harassment report a loss of interest in school activities, more absenteeism, lower-quality schoolwork, lower grades, and more skipping/dropping classes, tardiness and truancy.²

·         Young people who report lower academic achievement levels or negative feelings about the school environment are more likely to be involved in bullying.³

·         71 per cent of teachers say they usually intervene with bullying problems; but only 25 per cent of students say that teachers intervene.⁴

·         Over half of bullied children do not report being bullied to a teacher.⁵

Statistics on bullying and harassment

·         A 2010 research project studying 33 Toronto junior high and high schools reported that 49.5 per cent of students surveyed had been bullied online.⁶

·         Between 4–12 per cent of boys and girls in grades 6 through 10 report having been bullied once a week or more.⁷

·         For boys, bullying behaviour peaks in grade nine at 47 per cent, while it peaks for girls in grades six, eight and nine at 37 per cent.⁸

·         In a 2007 survey of 13–15-year-olds, over 70 per cent reported having been bullied online and 44% reported having bullied someone at least once.⁹

·         One in four students from grades seven to nine in an Alberta study reported experiencing cyberbullying.¹⁰

·         Over 80 per cent of the time, bullying happens with peers around ¹¹—and 57 per cent of the time, bullying stops within 10 seconds when a bystander steps in. ¹²

Trends in bullying and harassment

·         Since 2002, fighting behaviour has increased, especially in grades six to eight. As many as 18 per cent of boys and 8 per cent of girls report having been in four or more fights in the past year.¹³

·         Boys are more likely to experience direct forms of bullying (physical aggression) while girls experience more indirect forms of bullying including cyberbullying.¹⁴

·         Sexual harassment is higher for boys in grades six and seven, but higher for girls in grades nine and ten.¹⁵