One of the first signs that a parent can identify (if their child is confronted with such problems) are severe sadness, the child seems scared all the time, is tired and can not rest, has a decreasing appetite, decreased concentration, lack of interest in school.
Who are the victims?
Victims are often shy children who get upset quickly and are unable to defend themselves. Also among the potential targets are those with difficult financial or social situations, those with different ethnicities, children with visible physical defects and those suffering from different diseases.
Who are the aggressors?
A robot portrait of the aggressor would designate a person who seeks to attract attention, which feels important when “subdues” someone weaker. But we can also talk about children who come from troubled or disorganized families, where they have learned that violence is a solution, a way of responding; Or children who are afraid of becoming victims and go on the side of the aggressors who may want to impress the leader of the group who can seek both power, attention, revenge, or fun, but in all forms they also suffer from a weak trust in their own forces and feel that they can only be imposed by force.
Both short-term and long-term effects can be devastating to the victim: increased vulnerability, low self-esteem, depression, failure and school dropout, behavioral disorders ranging from suicidal thoughts, anxiety, and social phobia.
Advice For Parents
Probably the best advice for parents is to have a good communication with the child, to know him very well in terms of sensitivity, emotion, adaptive power, and to believe the child when he issues a problem. Children often do not talk if they are victims of such a shameful behavior (they are ashamed to have been assaulted and unable to defend themselves) because they fear retaliation or they do not trust adults. So with parent-child mutual trust, through open and direct communication, the parent can be informed. Do not ignore the child’s problems.
A self-taught child who has been taught that no one is perfect, that we each have qualities and defects, will be able to look more detached into a situation, will have more self-control and know how to express his point of view and say “stop”. Therefore, increasing children’s self-confidence may be helpful. As a support group, the feeling of belonging can help. So parents should help and allow the child to make friends.
