Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate. One essential prerequisite is the perception of an imbalance of physical or social power. This imbalance distinguishes bullying from conflict, which is usually bi-directional.

School bullying, like all bullying, refers to one or more perpetrators who have greater physical strength or more social power than their victim, repeatedly acting aggressively. The different types include ongoing physical, emotional and/or verbal aggression.

Bullying in schools and colleges is known as ragging. Commonly perceived as an “initiation ritual”, it has other connotations. Ragging involves abuse, humiliation or harassment of new entrants or juniors by senior students. While benign forms are perceived as “funny and playful”, ragging can often assume exaggerated proportions, wherein newcomers are subjected to to psychological or physical torture.

According to an article in the Indian Journal of Medical Sciences titled Ragging: A Public Health Problem in India, “Ragging is a major cause of school/ college refusal, dropouts and failure of academic grades. Ragging like other forms of bullying is often under-reported due to fear of authority, increase in bullying and potential legal hassles.”

Bullying involves imbalance in power perception and dynamics. According to Barbara Coloroso, author of The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander, bullies can either feel superior to others (“confident bully”) or suffer from low self-esteem (“social bully”). Others appear tough but are cowardly; they tend to want to be seen as tough (“fully armoured bully”).

Vindya V. Rai, consultant clinical psychologist at Bangalore’s Abhaya Hospital says, “Children who get bullied are often at risk of being bullies themselves. They are in need of control. Others may have faced a tough time with their siblings and need to regain their power. At times, aggressive behaviour is modelled as observed in parents and teachers. Other factors that promote bullying are the need to fit in, low self-esteem, lack of empathy, poor impulse control and anger issues.”

Victims of bullying tend to be physically smaller, more sensitive, unhappy, cautious, anxious, quiet and withdrawn. They are sometimes submissive and might use self-deprecating or self-defeating humour. They are less likely to retaliate when bullied, which in turn perpetuates bullying.

Body image issues and speech impediments (stuttering) are other factors that increase the risk of being bullied.

Says Nishanth, a Class X student, “It always seemed like I was a target. My stammering got worse and I felt hopeless. I didn’t feel safe at school or at home. I felt I was inadequate and I deserved it.” Nishanth disclosed his ordeal only after a year of ragging.

In a 2017 psychosocial study of ragging across selected Indian educational institutions, co-author Dr Sekhar P. Seshadri said, “Ragging is widely prevalent and sadly normalised. What is to be noted is the continuum of a power dynamic that stretches through mild to severe ragging. In mild ragging, its form reflects widely accepted social beliefs about seniority and hierarchy — but this can descend through coercion and humiliation to brute physical violence when power norms are resisted.” Dr Seshadri is retired senior professor, department of child and adolescent psychiatry, Nimhans, Bangalore.

Ragging can lead to several psychological consequences including trauma, depression, anxiety disorder, behavioural issues in kids, sleep problems, absenteeism and post-traumatic stress. Rai adds, “The body never forgets the trauma of bullying. It can affect mental wellbeing throughout life.”

Ragging is a serious violation of human rights. Following a Supreme Court order, a National Anti-Ragging Helpline was launched by the Indian government. Most educational institutions have anti-ragging policies that bear the strict “no tolerance” principle. Society Against Violence in Education (Save) is a non-profit organisation working for the eradication of ragging from educational institutions in India.

Awareness among teachers and parents are of utmost importance. Everyone who interacts daily with students should know how to identify early signs of bullying and when to intervene.

Examples of activities used to teach students about bullying include: presentations, role-playing, discussions about identifying and reporting bullying, teaching bystanders how and when to help, use of arts and crafts to build understanding of the effects of bullying, and classroom meetings to talk about peer relations. Even the home environment needs to be assessed.

Punishment alone will not stop this behaviour. Both perpetrators and victims need to be screened for mental health issues. School counsellors should be trained to prevent ragging. Legislation is of utmost importance; the media and policymakers should be in the forefront of improving policies. No form of abuse should be tolerated.

Says Gautam Saha, president of the SAARC psychiatric federation, “Life-skill workshops focussing on the dynamics of interpersonal and group relations are necessary Adults should responsibly model corrective behaviours. Only an empathetic and friendly dialogue will improve peer-relationships in the younger generation.”