Professional help needed for bully victims, expert says

A psychiatrist on Tuesday said a victim of bullying needs professional help so he/she can overcome the emotional impact of suffering from violence at an early age.

"Kailangan ang proseso nito ay 'di lang sa pamilya o sa biktima, kung 'di dapat may processing talaga ng isang eksperto para yung mga pinagdadaanan nila ay maagapan kaagad at mabibigyan ng suporta ang biktima," Dr. Maria Bernadette Manalo said in a report by Jam Sisante-Cayco on GMA News TV's Balitanghali.

The report cited five signs a child may be a bullying victim: unexplained cuts or bruises; low self esteem and social isolation; missing books, toys, clothes; unwilling to go to school; and bullying other children.

Based on a 2016 survey conducted by the Council for the Welfare of the Children, 65 percent of the 3,000 respondents aged 13 to 24 said they experienced bullying.

The Department of Education has reminded schools of its Child Protection Policy under DepEd Order No. 40 series of 2012.

The order states children must be protected "from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury and abuse, neglect or negligence treat, maltreatment and exploitation including sexual abuse."

Republic Act No. 10627, or the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013, also requires "all elementary and secondary schools are hereby directed to adopt policies to address the existence of bullying in their respective institutions."

This comes following a viral video showing an Ateneo junior high school student bullying a fellow student in the restroom.

Ateneo de Manila University president Fr. Jose Ramon Villarin, S.J., said the student has been dismissed due to the incident, while an hoc committee of the Philippine Taekwondo Association recommended the indefinite ban of its jin. 

The parents of the victim, however, said they prefer their son to be remembered for being "a young man of good moral foundation" instead of being "the poster child for a bullied boy." — Joseph Tristan Roxas/RSJ, GMA News