XM Group, Hope For Children launch anti-bullying video campaign

“Every Bully Has a Story” is the name of a campaign launched by XM Group and the Hope For Children CRC Policy Center to combat school bullying. The campaign features dramatised scenes based on real-life stories of school bullying, as well as statements from Hope For Children Scientific Coordinator Rodoula Papalambrianou and the organisation’s Director of Learning and Innovation, Tania Masia, who present statistical data and highlight the need to educate parents, teachers and children in order to reduce bullying, a phenomenon that can lead both perpetrators and victims into extremely dangerous situations. At the same time, for the past six years XM Group has been funding the technical infrastructure of the 1466 Helpline, which operates around the clock with professionals from Hope For Children. The helpline provides psychological, social and legal support to children and adults dealing with incidents of abuse, neglect, school bullying and online bullying (bullying/grooming), as well as guidance to parents and guardians on child protection matters. The specialised Hope For Children team, which includes psychologists, social workers and legal advisers, responds to every call and, where necessary, refers cases to the relevant authorities and services for further action. Support can also continue through face-to-face meetings, which will soon be available in the comfortable and welcoming environment of the new XM Child and Family Counselling Centre. The Centre will be housed in a listed building in Nicosia, which will be restored with the support of XM Group. At the Centre, Hope For Children staff will provide free psychosocial and legal support services to children and families. View the promotional video for the “Every Bully Has a Story” campaign below: The campaign’s short films against bullying shed light on three characteristic cases. In the first story, an invisible child, systematically ignored by busy parents and isolated by classmates, eventually reaches breaking point, bullying and ridiculing schoolmates in a bid to gain the attention of the group. The message is that the pain we cause children when we ignore them can, over time, turn into aggression and violence. In the second story, a boy grows up with parents who set no boundaries for his behaviour. The child enjoys terrorising the weaker pupils at school. He does not believe he is bullying other children, but is simply applying what he has learnt at home: that he can do whatever he wants as long as he demonstrates he is the strongest. The message is that all children need to be loved, while at the same time having consistent boundaries set for their behaviour. A girl who is the victim of bullying and ridicule is the protagonist of the campaign’s third video. She has lost her parents and lives with her grandmother, who braids her hair. Her classmates make fun of her. The girl internalises her loneliness and takes revenge by anonymously posting offensive comments about her classmates on social media. From victim, she becomes perpetrator, hidden behind the anonymity of the keyboard. The message of the story is that some children who try to hurt others are themselves suffering from loneliness and social isolation. School bullying is not a phenomenon that concerns the perpetrator alone. For it to emerge and persist, it often involves children who experience the violence, children who silently observe or reinforce it, as well as adults or environments that may fail to recognise the warning signs at an early stage. Understanding the position, experiences and needs of every child involved is essential if the problem is to be addressed holistically and effectively. The campaign by XM Group and Hope For Children focuses on the perpetrator, without in any way accepting, justifying or normalising violent or bullying behaviour. Instead, it seeks to highlight the factors that may lie behind such behaviour, as well as the needs that each child is attempting to express or fulfil through their actions. The ultimate aim of the anti-bullying campaign by XM Group and Hope For Children is to encourage parents, teachers, children and society as a whole to reflect on the aggressive behaviour displayed by some children and ask what is happening in their everyday lives that is driving them towards extreme behaviour and how their environment can help them. Bullying is a serious social problem and this campaign highlights the urgent need to identify and address the causes that lead some children to become perpetrators or victims of bullying. Children are the future of every community and deserve our undivided attention and holistic care, so that they have the opportunity to grow up well-adjusted and balanced and fulfil their dreams. More information about the services and programmes offered by Hope For Children can be found at: www.uncrcpc.org.cy.