UNICEF Report: School Bullying Is Rampant Worldwide

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Bullying is worse, not better. But there is hope. 

UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, just released a major report on childhood bullying worldwide. It found that about half of children ages 13 to 15 throughout the globe say they have experienced peer-to-peer violence in and around school. That's 150 million kids. As one UNICEF official who contributed to the report said, "Schools are not as safe as they should be because of bullying, because of corporal punishment by teachers, because of attacks on schools." The report adds that the estimated monetary cost of violence against children in all countries is $7 trillion.

However, the same UNICEF official noted that more children are speaking out against bullying and more teachers are being trained to deal with it. "We have reasons to be optimistic that violence will be recognized as a problem in schools and addressed soon," she said. Self-reported peer violence stands at around 50% in most of the nations studied -- with the U.S. rate slightly lower at 48%. The report is based on data from 122 countries, which are home to 51% of the world's population of children ages 13 to 15.

At the Humanity Project, we see this major report as more proof of the need for increased efforts of all kinds to stop school bullying. We have sensed a growing misunderstanding of the issue in the United States in recent months, a feeling that the serious problem of school bullying is less common now than before. Some folks seem to feel we've won that war. In fact, school bullying is more common today, according to U.S.-based studies and anecdotal reports. These include recent discussions by Humanity Project officials with school administrators, teachers and counselors. LGBTQ students are among the most frequent targets, a school population that is disproportionately bullied. The Southern Poverty Law Center says research consistently shows that “virtually every LGBT student experiences bullying at school.”

The Humanity Project's acclaimed Antibullying Through The Arts and Humanity Club programs have been shown to be effective in helping to curb school bullying -- but in the past several months, we have received somewhat less funding than in 2017 to deliver these free programs to schools and organizations that need them. In light of the new UNICEF report, we are hopeful these funds will be restored soon as more people recognize that bullying hasn't ended in the schools. And that our work as a society to stop school bullying is far, far from over. 

"Humanity Project Goes Hollywood!"

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Looking For Our Closeup

The Humanity Project has gone Hollywood ... Well, let's say "Hollywood," as in kinda sorta. The truth is we created a new video that's just like a polished Hollywood-style trailer you'd see at the movies. In a clever way, it advertises the Humanity Project's work and our three core values that are part of every program we offer: respect, diversity, self-worth. Click on the linked pic just below to check it out. 

We've also posted another cool video on our YouTube channel, which you can find here: 

More and more folks are getting lots of their information and entertainment from videos. The trend seems to be accelerating. So the Humanity Project is embracing this new reality by stepping up our game. As you can see on our YouTube channel, or the Videos page here on our website, we've always gone big for videos. They can communicate with new audiences in new ways. But now -- oh definitely, you can expect to find more videos by us in the coming months, smart and engaging pieces that take our positive message to even higher heights. 

The Peaceful Child

POSTED BY: BOB KNOTTS

Wouldn’t it be lovely, though? If every child was a peaceful child … By that I mean a child who lives without being exposed to violence. A child who knows that their home and their school, their streets and stores are safe. Most of all a child who feels like a valuable human being — and so is at peace with herself or himself. Yes, wouldn’t it be lovely?

Every child deserves a peaceful, loving childhood

he Humanity Project has just joined the Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence, a collection of organizations that share one goal: To promote sensible gun laws and gun violence prevention. Visit the website of the Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence. The coalition is organized and led by the League of Women Voters of Florida and if you check out their website, you’ll find the Humanity Project listed among its members. The Coalition already has some wonderful accomplishments, helping to block laws such as Campus Carry and Open Carry that would have made guns more prevalent in Florida. Now we’re all working to ban assault weapons and expand background checks.

You may ask yourself, “How does this fit the Humanity Project’s mission – and the goal of ‘helping kids to help kids’?” We believe it does because kids need a peaceful society, free of gun violence, to grow into responsible and healthy adults. A violent world only encourages fear, self-obsession, anger and ultimately more violence. We see it in the headlines every week lately. The young men who killed in places such as Orlando and Dallas and Nice were not people who had peaceful childhoods. They grew up frightened and angry. And they became violent as a result.

So the Humanity Project Board of Directors does indeed believe that preventing the spread of guns is well within the appropriate mission for the Humanity Project. Our focus continues to be on anti-bullying and safe driving and teaching the value of diversity and self-value through peer-to-peer programs. But kids need help from adults to accomplish these things. And now they need our help to limit gun violence too, so they can mature surrounded not by violence and hatred but by peace and love.