If you are being bullied, there are many ways to get help, even right at your school.
The Western Cape Education Department has a partnership with Safer Schools to provide support and programmes to help wherever they can.
Spokesperson for the department Bronagh Hammond said the first step for help was reaching out.
Here are ways to get help which was published by the WCED and to identify that you are being bullied
* Physical – The more well-known form of bullying that involve physically hurting someone.
* Verbal – Slurring racial, gender-based or homophobic insults or labelling and humiliating someone.
* Social – Damaging a person’s social reputation by spreading rumours and lies or getting other groups to exclude them.
* Psychological – Belittling, undermining or making jokes about someone to make them feel inferior. This often happens in friendship circles.
* Cyber – Targeting someone with harsh messages, sharing, posting or adding to the bullying by painting the person in a negative light.
Rather than ignore it, use your voice. Here’s how to help a person who is being bullied:
* Intervene quickly. If you see it happen, get help or put a stop to it before it goes too far.
* End the rumours or gossip you hear about the person ... don’t be a part of the chain.
* Let them know that they have your support. Don’t say things like “Just stand up for yourself”, “If you ignore it, it’ll go away” or “You’re overreacting.
* Get your friends on board, ask them for help and tackle the issue as a group.
Talk to someone:
* As an adult, you can speak to someone outside of school like a parent or social worker.
Your peers start in your own social circle. Have conversations with your peers and get their input.
* If you feel too overwhelmed to say something, get a friend to support you.
* You can also anonymously put pen to paper with a note dropped at the school office, or use the WCED Safe Schools toll-free hotline: 0800 45 46 47