Growing up exposes us to malaise like bullying and ragging be it at our childhood, during college and at times at the workplace. In fact, bullying is an issue that people of all ages must be prepared to face and overcome..
In extreme cases, the dangerous outcome includes serious psychological disorders and self-harm or suicide.
Countless cases of cyber bullying, students jumping off the terrace, hanging themselves in hostel rooms, physical torture, murdered and suicides have come to light and almost all have been linked in some way to being a result of ragging and bullying.
“It’s just a declaration of an anti-ragging form that is duly signed by us as a measure to protect us from ragging in hostels,” says Ridhima, a B.A communication student. “Otherwise, no one keeps an eye on what is going on in the college premises or the hostel itself.
“My first two months in the hostel were horrible. From being embarrassed in public to receiving disturbing stuff at the room door every morning, I have taken it all. The worst is when you rebel and have a miserable life in the college. That is very depressing. Being from a different city, it was tougher for me,” she adds.
“It is a scar that remains for life,” says Dr. Manish Bajpayee, Pune’s leading psychiatrist. “Ragging and bullying can be physical, verbal or even sexual. People going through them should be allowed to vent to professionals to help them flush their anxiety. Most importantly, the teachers at educational institutions and parents at home should be able to address it at the earliest.
“Such people may seem as accepting of a lot of abuse; but over time, they might develop border line personality disorder, poor self esteem, depression, school phobia etc which can remain throughout their life. It can affect their psyche and overall personality at large. Parents should always try listening to their children when they insist on not going to school. They should not brush the issue but provide a healthy and comfortable environment so that the affected child can speak his mind,” he adds.
The child should be offered this freedom to choosing his own solution. Should he need to change schools. opt for councelling classes should be an option. Another eample being turning to religion. Should your child feel comforted and at peace turning to faith to help him through, this should be supported as well. The power of prayer to a child in this situation could be reassuring. If you want to find out about prayer in troubled times, search for ‘prayers for enemies to leave you alone‘ online.
Sharing his experience Mohit says, “Being on the heavier side, my seniors used to treat me like an animal. They used to make sure that I starve to death and would eat with my money.
To top it, they made me go through physical torture like running for miles, doing countless pushups and weightlifting.
“All I could do was try escaping, as I had a year to survive them. But thankfully, after various complaints, the faculty finally acted and suspended them,” he adds.
Not only in colleges or work places, bullying in public places, stalking and molestation have also shattered many lives.
“I was scared to get out of my house as someone was always there to stalk me,” says Rupali.
“These people would follow me to the coaching class, make vulgar remarks on my appearance and even indulged in a fight with my brother after I complained about them.
I would cry in my room for days landing me finally at the hospital.
“Soon after my recovery, I was sent to my grandmother’s place from where I completed my education.
Taking help from the police was not a choice as these men had huge political influence,” and that worried us, she adds.
#All views expressed in this column are those of the individual respondents (names changed to protect privacy) and Pune365 does not necessarily subscribe to this.
Reach her at loveleen@pune365.com or tweet @KaurKaur18
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