Anti Bullying Act of 2012

Bullying is a serious problem in homes, schools and communities. Often dismissed as an adolescent “rite of passage,” research clearly indicates bullying is learned behavior and detrimental to the academic, physical, social and emotional development of all involved – bullies, targets and the bystanders who witness it. Bullying is not only a problem of youth but is one that spans all ages. Despite volumes of research, countless “anti-bullying” programs and increased scrutiny by the media, bullying continues to pervade our culture and our schools. A wave of recent bullying incidents with tragic outcomes has shed a renewed light on this issue.

Worldwide, Reports in 2010 the “chronic persistence of school bullying has led to student suicides across the country, including New Jersey” Identified a need “to strengthen the standards and procedures for preventing, reporting, investigating, and responding to incidents of harassment, intimidation, and bullying of students that occur in school and off the school premises” are the reason s behind the Anti-Bullying legislation.

In the Philippines, the House Bill 5496, to be known as the “Anti-Bullying Act of 2012,” seeks to provide students and their parents or guardians awareness of the impact of bullying and how it can be prevented or addressed. The measure shall require all elementary and secondary schools to adopt policies that will address the existence of bullying in the respective institutions. Under the bill, existing schools shall submit their anti-bullying policies to the Department of Education within six months upon effectivity of the law. All school-related bullying incidents must be reported to their respective schools’ division superintendents, who in turn shall compile and report to the Secretary of Education. The Department of Education (DepEd) is mandated to submit a report on bullying incidents to the appropriate Congressional committee and shall sanction school administrators for non-implementation of anti-bullying policies and non-compliance with the reportorial requirements. The bill requires the anti-bullying policies to be included as an administrative requirement prior to the operation of new schools. Furthermore, the measure mandates the DepEd to include in its training programs, courses or activities and opportunities for school administrators, teachers and other employees to develop their knowledge and skills in preventing bullying in schools.

Thus, I believe that this Bill or law was not the best way to prevent being bullied. I’m not against to what they are fighting but I just believed that there must be a better way and solution to this problem. First, parents should teach their children the proper way of how they will interact with another person and how they will control their fears, angers, anxiety, jealousy and others. And also, they must give them the enough time, love and affection they need because if you never do, the more the chance of a child to involve himself in doing things, that for them it’s right but actually not. And this may lead to engage him/herself to bully others or to be bullied by the other that just because of the improper guidance of the parents. Character Education must teach to each of the individual. Through this, there is a great possibility to lessen the number of bullied victims.

If each parents, teachers and adults are just responsible enough to be a good model to the young generation, Bullying will never takes a place here. Aristotle once said, “The one thing no state or government can do, no matter how good it is, is to make its citizens morally virtuous.” Laws made by the government can be made and enforced as much as they want, but that doesn’t mean the laws will be followed. This is perfectly exemplified but the anti-bullying laws. Just because these laws and rules are in place doesn’t mean the government can make people obey them. Anti-bullying laws have been put in place in order to try to put a stop to bullying, but they are not helping. Instead the problem of bullying has only escalated because of the efforts to enforce the laws.

Anti-bullying laws have been created in just about every state. Even though they all vary to a certain extent state by state they all carry the same basic pieces. The laws try to stop bullying through the use of school programs that were mandated by the legislature. As time goes on the government sees that the laws aren’t working so they try to enforce the laws more by making them stricter. However that hasn’t worked thus far. This legislature was not well thought out there is no way to force bullies in school to behave. The government was trying to use a blanket solution by coming up with a legislature that deals with the problem of bullying in school, but this problem couldn’t be resolved just through school. Teachers and even administration alone cannot prevent bullying because they are in a position of authority. The last person a disruptive child is going to listen to is someone in charge because of their problem with authority. Whether the bully is male or female or young or old they are still a problem that needs to be stopped.