Bullying. We have all heard about it, and some of us have gone through it ourselves. And it’s unfortunate that this is still happening to our kids in 2019, but giving them the toolbox to stand against bullies is vitally important. 

Earlier this year I spoke to a group of Muslim children on Living Muslim, a youth show on One Path Network. We spoke about the importance of saying ‘stop, your bullying’ and heading straight to the teacher to tell them what happened. As well as the importance of standing up for other kids who are getting bullied. 

Many of the children shared stories about their experiences with bullying, including one Muslim girl getting her headscarf ripped off. I was shocked, that in 2019 these young children had encountered the hatred of others. A study reported that 1 in 4 Australia students are bullied, these numbers are atrocious, and hopefully, we can turn them around. Starting with our very own children. 

Reaching out to the children on Living Muslim, showed me how unfortunately prevalent this issue is in our Australian community. Teach your children to stand up for themselves and others, not through bullying but through communication with their schools, teachers and family. Tell them they are not a ‘dobber’ for standing up for themselves and others and that bullying may come in different forms such as cyber, physical and verbal abuse. As parents or a trusted figure, we also need to remember to sit down and listen to what they have to say, as they may be a victim of bullying of any form themselves. We can create a community where they feel safe to open up about their experiences, just as they did on Living Muslim.

At the end of the day, all the children knew how to stand up to a bully the right way, and will pass it on to their friends and family. Hopefully, the only rumour spreading around schools now will be how to stop bullies and have a happy childhood, which every child deserves. 

Let’s be supportive of our children, and their future children, to educate them on the harm of bullying and to hopefully turn those numbers around. Find out how to educate your children by watching the powerful video here.

May Allah keep our children safe.