Anti-Bullying Week 16-20 November 2009

Anti-Bullying Week shines a light on bullying, sending a clear and positive message that it is neither acceptable nor inevitable in our schools and communities. Held in November each year, Anti-Bullying Week is run by the ABA, with funding support from the DCSF.

This year's Anti-Bullying Week campaign is ‘Stay safe in Cyberspace’.  The focus will be on cyberbullying - the use of information communications technology (ICT), particularly mobile phones and the internet, to deliberately upset someone else.  Research has found that more than a third of 12–15-year-olds have faced some form of cyberbullying.

Unfortunately, some people just don’t take cyberbullying as seriously as other forms of bullying - maybe because it is indirect and often perceived as anonymous.  That doesn’t stop it from causing harm; children and young people tell us that it is painful and can feel inescapable:

“I felt that no one understood what I was going through. I didn’t know who was sending me these messages. I felt powerless and didn’t know what to do.”

A key message for this year’s Anti-Bullying Week is that modern technologies remain a positive and productive part of the lives of children and young people and they can be used safely and constructively.

ABA has developed a briefing pack on cyberbullying in support of Anti-Bullying Week 2009.  Packed full of information, ideas and links to useful materials for schools and others working with children and young people, it also pulls together resources from a range of sources, including DCSF and ABA members.

Please to use it during Anti-Bullying Week and in support of your anti-bullying work throughout the year, conducted as part of the DCSF cyberbullying information campaign.

The Anti Bullying Alliance (ABA) was founded in 2002 by NCB and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).  They are an independent body with over 60 organisations.  These organisation work together to tackle and reduce bullying, ensuring that safe environments for children and young people to be able to live, grow, play and learn free from bullying.  

06.11.2009