Bullying and Children’s Rights: It’s not Just about Safety

Debra PeplerYork University &

The Hospital for Sick Children

Rights and Development

• Healthy development of children and youth depends on healthy relationships.

• Children learn by trial and error

Aboriginal wisdom on child rearing:Honour children’s mistakes

Rights, Responsibilites, Development and Bullying

Prevention

• Relationships are the “active ingredients” of the environment in which children grow up.

• Why and how do we promote healthy relationships for healthy development

BullyingA Relationship that Violates Rights

Bullying is a relationship problem that requires relationship solutions:

• Those who bully are learning to use power aggressively to control and distress others

• Those who are victimized become trapped in an abusive relationship.

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What Fosters Development?

Nature and Nurture

Children experience their world as an environment of relationships.

• Relationships are important throughout development

• Relationships affect all aspects of development – intellectual, social, emotional, physical, behavioral, and moral.

Adults are responsible for the quality of children’s relationships

What is Developing underthe Skin?

Relationships Matter for the Brain through Genes and Experiences

The brain adapts with children’s experiences:If the child has positive experiences, the brain adapts

positively for learning, memory, and regulation.If the child has stressful experiences, the brain adapts

negatively, with too much or too little response to any stress.

As the brain develops, the gene expression adapts as well, leading to further positive or

negative brain development.

How are we doing in Canada in promoting

healthy relationships for healthy development?

UNICEF, 2013

UNICEF, 2013

UNICEF, 2013

Why Worry About Bullying?

Copyright PREVNet 2012 Do not copy without permission of author

Copyright PREVNet 2012 Do not copy without permission of author

BULLYING

DatingAggression

SexualHarassment

GangAggression

MaritalAbuse

WorkplaceHarassment

ChildAbuse

ElderAbuse

Developmental Pathway of Power and Aggression in

Relationships

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Child’s or youth’s relationships with family, peers, adults, & community

Child or youth ’s needs, strengths,challenges

© Promoting Relationships and Eliminating Violence Network, 2007

Binocular Perspective on Development

Strategies to Promote Healthy Relationships

• Self-Awareness• Building Rapport • Scaffolding• Social Architecture• Systems Change

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All Children have the RightTo Dignity and To Be Safe!

All children have the right to be respected and treated with dignity.

All children have the right to be safe.

•UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

•Education Legislation – principals and teachers have responsibilities to protect students

•Community organizations, including police are essential partners

Strategies for Building Healthy Relationships to Prevent Bullying

Healthy relationships approaches require:

• Awareness of potential problems

• Catch problem EARLY; ongoing support

• Communication among adults, between students and adults, between home and school, etc.

• Support for the most vulnerable children and youth.

• Self-Awareness, Building Rapport,Scaffolding, Social Architecture, and Systems Change,

Why Promoting Relationships and Eliminating Violence Network in Canada?

Healthy development depends on healthy relationships.

It Takes A Network to Raise a Child

• PREVNet’s mission is to promote healthy relationships and prevent bullying for all Canadian children and youth

PREVNetPromoting Healthy Relationships

• Developing the capacity for healthy relationships is essential.

• Relationship problems affect children’s development and have a long-term impact on families, communities, and society.

• Relationship problems can transfer to the next generation.

• Knowledge of the processes that shape development is crucial for prevention and intervention to promote healthy development, as well as human and social capital outcomes.

PREVNetPromoting Partnerships

In partnerships, community organizations, police and schools can work to: – Put necessary developmental

supports in place (scaffolding)– Organize peer experiences to

reduce bullying and other antisocial behaviours (social architecture)

– Develop community-wide prevention programs

– Divert youth from troubled pathways

PREVNet Partners www.prevnet.ca

For Helping Bridge Research and Practice to Promote Healthy Relationships for All Children and Youth

www.prevnet.ca

THANK YOU!