minority groups bullying
Photo by RODGER BOSCH / AFP)

Are people in minority groups being bullied more? 

Those with the National Voices for Equality, Education and Enlightenment (NVEEE) would agree. Two NVEEE’s Peace Ambassadors shared their personal experiences and the impact racial and ethnic bullying has had on their lives — since elementary school.

Dr. Blendine P. Hawkins, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) and Programme Director of the MFT doctoral programme at the Chaminade University of Honolulu, shares a similar sentiment. 

In her words, being a minority increases the risk of being “othered” and “scapegoated” — and there’s a good amount of research to prove this. 

“Minority groups who are people of colour and speak with their local accent or whose first language is not English can also be highly visible as an ‘other’ in social spheres that are unsafe,” she tells Study International. 

This begs the question: why do minority groups of people face higher risks of being targeted by bullies? 

Hawkins explains the emboldened rise of nationalism in many counties has contributed to this. 

“It is something that has always been there but in recent years been given more of a voice in political and social arenas,” she says. 

“This can be linked with xenophobic sentiment and increased discriminatory behaviour towards transnationals and foreign students.”

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Hawkins believes there are ways for schools, families and peers to help bullying victims. Source: Dr. Blendine P. Hawkins

Are universities no longer safe for minority groups?

Most institutes of higher learning have incorporated policies to create a safe, diverse, and inclusive environment. 

There’s still, however, room for improvement. For instance, KCRA-TV reported that a hateful and vile racist post by a seventh grader from the John Knight Middle School in California has resulted in an investigation due to its blatant malicious content.

The Instagram post showed several photos of 20 or more African-American or biracial students posing and smiling for the camera casually. 

It was uploaded online with the caption, “happy black history month to all of the monkeys.”

Racism against Asian Americans, specifically in K-12 schools, has not been given the attention it deserves, according to a report by The Education Trust-West

Stories like these are no longer a shock to those reading them. Instead of de-escalating matters through policies or proper training, social media has escalated these incidents and allowed for more bullying in schools.

Cyberbullying only adds to this. Hawkins shares that while bullies generally don’t care about keeping their identity secret, the internet and social media offer some form of anonymity.

“For example, people can create fake social media accounts to create a page dedicated to posting negative things about a person. All these factors have led to increased cyberbullying,” she says.

Cyberbullying only adds to this. Hawkins shares that while bullies generally don’t care about keeping their identity secret, the internet and social media offer some form of anonymity.

“For example, people can create fake social media accounts to create a page dedicated to posting negative things about a person. All these factors have led to increased cyberbullying,” she says.

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Students performing at a festival to raise awareness. Source: Tasia Wells/Getty Images/AFP

What parents, families, and support systems can do to help

Hawkins shares that it is a myth that it is easy to identify children who are being bullied or that they would immediately report it to an adult.

There are, however, multiple signs that can indicate distressed behaviour.

“With younger children, the cues may be a refusal to go to school, complaints of physical pain, decreased play, increased tantrums and irritability, or avoiding the topic of school or friends,” she says.

Older children may exhibit more emotional symptoms, like increased moodiness or emotional withdrawal, wanting to be isolated or even heightened aggression.

“For children being bullied, the bullying can feel relentless and terrorising, and all adults have the responsibility to stop the harm,” Hawkins explains.

“Parents need to have open conversations about bullying with their children, letting them know what it can look like, how it can feel, what to do and to assure them that they should always come to their parents if it is happening.”