Bullying and Human Rights

Human Rights are important because it secures our rights as individuals and
therefore should be respected by everyone. Bullying is a serious human rights
infringement.
Everyone has the right to feel safe and be treated fairly and respectfully
and it hinders us from enjoying these rights and many more. Bullying can
affect you at home, school, and work, in your social life and in your ability
to feel happy, healthy and secure.
Victims can experience significant social isolation, feel unsafe, can lead to
emotional and physical harm, loss of self-esteem, feelings of shame and
anxiety, and concentration and learning difficulties. Tragically, violence,
harassment and bullying can lead to suicide in extreme cases.
The Anti-Bullying Act of 2013 defines bullying as any severe, or repeated use
by one or more students of a written, verbal or electronic expression, or a
physical act or gesture, or any combination thereof, directed at another
student that has the effect of actually causing or placing the latter in
reasonable fear of physical or emotional harm or damage to his property.
Every day in Philippines, 31 incidents of bullying are reported in
schools. In 2012, 6,363 complaints about bullying in both public and
private elementary and high schools. The number was about 21
percent higher than the 5,236 complaints recorded in 2013. (The
Philippine Star, 2015)
Some of your rights that could be violated or hinders us from enjoying such rights
include:
Article 2: Right to life
Bullying violates our right to life because it hinders us from
experiencing life to the fullest. Bullying in some cases make us want to
hide from the world and ignore living a happy life. Depression and
suicidal tendencies that is caused by bullying also violates this right.
Article 3: Right not be tortured or treated in an inhuman way
Some cases of extreme bullying does not make us safe because of
being treated like garbage, we feel useless and unattached with people
around us because they make us feel low. This violates this right
because we are human being and should be treated as such, physically
and verbally.
Article 10: Right to freedom of expression
People who are victims of bullying cannot enjoy this right because they
are afraid of being bullied even more. In fact, one of the reasons why
people are bullied because of differences. People who are bullied lose
their confidence and are afraid to express themselves, even to the
point of hating themselves because of it.
Article 14: Right not to be discriminated

Bullied people are discriminated a lot because as stated above, certain

differences. At times, bullying starts of as a discrimination which is a
violation to this right as a human being.
Your right to be free from mental, emotional and physical violence.
Bullying is a form of violence. You have a right to be in a supportive
environment that is respectful, safe and free from violence.
Your right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.
Bullying can cause physical injuries, depression and other health
issues.
Your right to survival and development.
Bullying can have serious impact on your physical, mental, spiritual,
moral and social development
Your right to work and have a fair and safe workplace.
Bullying at work can lead to physical and mental stress and depression.
It can stop you being able to do your job well and cause you to need
increased days off work.
Your right to leisure and play.
Bullying that occurs in places you play and socialize such as at school
and on social networking sites and can impact on your ability to relax
and enjoy different activities
Your right to education.
Bullying at school can make you feel unsafe and unwelcome. It can
impact on your concentration and your mental and physical health.
This may affect how well you do at school.
Your right to participate and have your voice heard.
Bullying can make you feel unsafe and prevent you from expressing
your feelings and opinions at school, home, work, and with your
friends. You have the right to express your views, to have your
concerns taken seriously and to participate in decisions that directly
affect you.
Your right to privacy.
Bullying, in particular cyberbullying can make things that are personal
public. You have a right to have your privacy respected by others.
Responsibilities:
Individuals
Just as we are all born with human rights we also have responsibilities
to respect and protect the rights of others. This means that it is
important to always be respectful of other people. We all have a

responsibility to avoid all forms of bullying, including spreading gossip

or making offensive comments about others online. Respecting the
rights of others applies to everyone, including people who are your
friends and those who are not, people who are isolated, new to your
school or workplace or may not be very popular. If you see someone
that has been bullied or treated badly you may be able to take safe
and effective action to support them. Bullying is everyones problem.
We are all part of the solution.
School and Work
Your school has a responsibility to provide a safe learning environment
free from violence, harassment and bullying. This protects your right to
education. Your boss has a responsibility to provide a safe work
environment where there is no violence, harassment and bullying. This
protects your right to work.
Government
Your human rights are protected by international human rights laws