Bullying is a growing problem mentioned frequently in media and defined in law as severe or repeated harmful behavior. It can include leaving people out, name-calling, teasing, threatening, stealing or damaging property, stalking, or cyberbullying. The story of Amanda Todd, a Canadian girl who took her own life after being abused and bullied both online and in person, illustrates the serious impacts of bullying. While it may not be possible to stop all bullies, individuals can help prevent tragedy by offering friendship and support to those who are bullied.

1. Good day,ladiesandgentlemen.Today,Iwill talkaboutanti-bullying.
Bullyingisaword thathave beenin-trendthese days.Social media,schoollessons,mainstream
media,andnewspapersare justsome of the thingsthattalkabout bullyingandhow to preventorstop
it.Some mightsay,“it’s justpart of growingup”. Isit really?Orisit a growingproblem.
Let usgo in-depthtowhatbullyingis.AccordingtotheAnti-BullyingActof 2013, “bullying”shall
referto anysevere orrepeateduse byone or more studentsof a written,verbal orelectronic
expression,ora physical actor gesture,orany combinationthereof,directedatanotherstudentthat
has the effectof actuallycausingorplacingthe latterin reasonable fearof physical oremotional harm
or damage to hisproperty;creatinga hostile environmentatschool forthe otherstudent;infringingon
the rightsof the otherstudentat school;or materiallyandsubstantiallydisruptingthe education
processor the orderlyoperationof aschool.
Leavingsomeone out,callingsomeonenames,makingfunof others,threateningsomeone,
taking,hiding,ordamagingsomeone’sthings,followingorstalkingsomeone,oreventrollingpeople on
the internet,are acts of bullying.Sometimes,some people maynotevenbe aware thatwhattheydo
alreadybulliessomeone.
One way forus to trulyunderstandthe causesandeffectsof bullyingis tolookintothe livesof
those whoexperiencedit.
AmandaTodd: an ordinarygirl from Canada.WhenAmandaTodd posteda videoonYoutube
withthe use of flashcards,it seemedlike acry forhelp.She toldthe storyof beingabused,bullied,
harassed,andstalkedonline andinperson.She narratedhersilentstoryof how she usedself-harm,
drugs,and alcohol inan attemptto silence the painshe sufferedasaresultof CyberBullying.She was
desperate forsomeone tounderstandher,listentoherand simply,she wantedafriendwhogother.
Because of the absence or lackof people whocould’ve understood her,she tookherownlife,andsadly,
succeeded.Wasitherfault?Maybe… butwas it onlyherfault?No,it’snot.
Today,I won’tgo intotechnicalitiesanddefinitionsof concepts.Iwantto show people whatthe
real situationis,whatreallyexistsinthe world.Bullyingisa real thing,andit isa real problem.Itcan
happenanywhere toanyone.Ithappens,andwill continue tohappenuntil itisstopped. Itisa serious
problemthatcan leadto terrible,if notdisastrousresults.
We maynot stopthe bullies,butwe canbe a friendtothe bullied.If yousee someone alone,
youcan alwaysoffercompanionship.If someonegetspusheddown,liftthembackup.If a friendis
depressedbecauseof ameantextor message,make hersmile.If itisyouwhois beingpusheddown,
will youbelieve them?Orwill youbelieveinyourself?
How manymore AmandaTodd’s will there be before societyreforms –before WEreform?