Most schools in Ireland are Catholic schools, and close to 80% of the population describe their religion as Catholic according to the 2016 Census.

Yet, a growing number of people do not practice the religion. Many may attend Christenings and Communions simply as it is part of Irish culture rather than any genuine belief in the practice.

According to Professor James O'Higgins Norman, this has led to practising Catholics being singled out for bullying in schools more than non-religious students.

As reported by The Irish Times, Professor O'Higgins Norman shared research from Dublin City University (DCU) Anti-Bullying Centre, which stated that Religion teachers had noticed bullying towards practising Catholics.

Norman said that it was vital that we "promote understanding of difference, that difference is the norm, a good thing, and no two kids are the same."

Prof O'Higgins Norman and his academic team were addressing the Oireachtas Committee on Education, which is examining the issue of school bullying and its effects on mental health.

The committee heard that physical appearance was "the top reason for being bullied".

"It is well established in research that negative childhood experiences have a negative effect on the development of a child, particularly when the bullying is related to identity. Our research shows that school principals understand and recognise this," Prof O'Higgins Norman said.

However, the DCU submission also noted that only 51 per cent of schools have appointed a specific staff member to investigate and tackle bullying. It called for greater transparency regarding how cases are reported and dealt with in individual schools.

Fianna Fáil Senator Fiona O'Loughlin proposed a national bullying database whereby schools would record incidents and types of bullying. This would identify how often Catholic schoolchildren were being bullied based on their beliefs.

Prof O'Higgins Norman said he would support such a database that tracked bullying activity because "having good quality data allows us to make informed decisions about the initiatives that we use and about how effective they are".

Dr Mairéad Foody noted that cyber-bullying was still less prevalent than more traditional forms, but it could have a more severe impact on victims.

"One incident of cyber-bullying might be enough for somebody to feel so isolated and alone that their mental health is under severe pressure. Whereas offline bullying might continue for a little bit more time before they would need to seek help," she said.

Prof O'Higgins Norman said parents and teachers were also "rightly concerned" about cyber-bullying. He noted improvements in online moderation were increasingly reliant on artificial intelligence designed to identify bullying before it was seen.

"[However] we don't have a full picture of how well it's working because the metrics are within companies, and access to them is quite limited," he said.

Sources

Irish Post

World News

The video, posted on Facebook, showing a St. Joseph's College student being beaten by another student while other students look on, has gone viral.

They are also likely to face police charges.

The Director of Catholic Schools, A'eau Chris Hazelman, said that this is the second time such an incident has occurred at the school.

Because of this, "we are taking the matter further".

"We have met with the Police and they are investigating it".

A'eau said the incident is disappointing but "the matter is beyond our control and that is why we have decided to refer it to police".

"We have identified all of the boys in the video and the principal has contacted the parents of these students who were expelled today".

A'eau recalled that, after the first incidence of a similar video going viral online three years ago, immediate action was taken with expulsion.

"There was also a student handbook of which there were two rules that clearly points to zero tolerance on bullying and if it happens it would mean immediate expulsion".

"There was also another policy that we drew up regarding social media, that any pictures or videos that shows students in school, during school time and in school uniform that is doing harm to a student or will place the school in a negative light will get automatic expulsion".

Samoan teenagers aged 13-15 are among the most bullied and most violent youth in East Asia and the Pacific, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (U.N.I.C.E.F.).

A report released last year by the Agency, titled "Hidden In Plain Sight: A statistical analysis of violence against children," reveals that almost three quarters of Samoan youth have experienced bullying, while more than two thirds have reported being in a physical fight.

Source

• Samoa Observer
• Samoa Observer
• Samoa Observer
• Radio New Zealand International
• Image: Flickr/US Embassy

The gossiping was endless.

"Everything I seemed to do was something to talk about. The girls would nudge each other and say: 'Shhhh, Amelia* is there'."

School felt like a popularity contest.

Amelia was asked to name the three prettiest girls in year 7.

When she shrugged, and said she thought everyone was pretty, she was ostracised for not playing the game.

The girls would glare at her; Amelia calls it the death stare.

Amelia was asked why she didn't wear bike shorts under her school uniform.

They would mock her laugh.

It was, Amelia's mother says, like living the film Mean Girls.

"There was this culture of nastiness that is endemic in a group of toxic girls."

A delegation of girls told a teacher that Amelia was being bullied.

Amelia worried this would make things worse.

She said she didn't want any action taken.

However the teacher decided to stage "The Intervention".

Amelia and her main antagonist were brought together to discuss the problem.

But then the teacher's mobile rang and she left the room, leaving Amelia and the bully alone together. "I was just sitting there painfully," Amelia says.

As she had feared, things got worse. One afternoon four girls simultaneously blocked her on Instagram.

Another day a group of 10 girls surrounded her locker, blocking her exit. She was shoved on a train station.

Amelia started hiding in the library at lunchtimes. "It was just really bad when I was on my own all the time." Continue reading

Sources

• The Sydney Morning Herald
• Image: Mail Online